Iranian / Persian Proverbs

The night hides a world, but reveals a universe.

Solved riddles look easy.

Necessity can change a lion into a fox.

The way a house is decorated will tell much about its owner.

Don’t just take love—experience it.

Every man is the king of his own beard.

You can close the city gates, but you can’t close the people’s mouths.

It’s better to flee and stay alive than to die and become a hero.

A timely tear is better than a misplaced smile.

A sword in the hands of a drunken slave is less dangerous than science in the hands of the immoral.

Only a heart can find the way to another heart.

A wise man can laugh at his jokes.

A stone thrown at the right time is better than gold given at the wrong time

The elephant dreams of one thing, and the elephant driver dreams of another.

The fox uses his tale as a witness.

An egg thief becomes a camel thief.

The person who wants a rose must respect the thorn.

You can’t pick up two watermelons with one hand.

A camel that wants fodder stretches out its neck.

Injustice all around is justice!

Do little things now; and big things will come to you.

Go and wake up your luck.

I used to complain because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.

Another variation:

I used to complain because I had no shoes until I met a man who was dead.

While yearning for excess, we lose the necessities.

You can’t please everyone.

A fool’s excuse is bigger than his mistake.

You can’t push on a rope.

A quality statement often gets no answer.

A greedy man is always poor.

Excessive praise is like an insult.

A single rose does not mean that it is spring.

A drowning man is not bothered by rain.

Curiosity is the key to knowledge.

Marriage is an uncut watermelon.

Thinking is the essence of wisdom.

The joy of finding something is often worth more than what is found.

Iran’s history dates back to 3000 BC with the Elamite civilization. Much of Iranian culture comes from the Ancient Persian Empire that was unified in the 500s BC, and at one point made up one of the world’s largest Empires. Over half of modern Iranians trace their roots back to Persian ancestry, while the rest of the population come from a variety of ethnicities and mixes. The country’s main language is Persian (a.k.a. Farsi).

Iran has changed its borders frequently, and has had many native and foreign rulers, including (in loose chronological order) the Seleucid Dynasty, the Pathians, the Arsacid Dynasty, the Sasanian Dynasty, Arab Muslims, Turks, Mongols, the Safavid Dynasty (which at one point expanded into a large Empire in the 1500s and 1600s), Afghanis, Kurds, the Qajar Dynasty, the Pahlavi Dynasty, and the current Islamic Republic. Over time, the region has built a vivid history and culture.

Modern Iran contains cities and rural communities. Most cities have a mix of both traditional and modern characteristics. Rural communities are more resembling of earlier civilizations, and often based around farming. Throughout Iranian rural areas, there are also many nomads (frequent travelers).

Some common themes of Iran include strong bonds between friends and family, hospitality, Shi’i Islam, Nowruz (the Persian New Year celebration), science, architecture, literature, art, rugs, textiles, music, dancing, filmmaking, cats, joke telling, mustaches, petroleum, wrestling, weightlifting, soccer, melons, yogurt, rice, lamb, vegetables, stew, bread, kabob, and the appreciation of Iranian history and culture.