Languages › Italian Italian Proverbs Beginning With 'C' Share Flipboard Email Print Valentina Rimondi / Getty Images Italian History & Culture Vocabulary Grammar By Cher Hale Cher Hale Italian Language Expert B.A., University of Nevada–Las Vegas Cher Hale is the founder of The Iceberg Project, a language-learning platform for students of the Italian language. She also hosts the 30 Minute Italian podcast. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on January 16, 2020 Proverbs are a beautiful part of the Italian language that help learners understand Italian culture on a deeper level. Below, you’ll find a list of common proverbs beginning with “c.” Italian Idioms, Proverbs, and Maxims Cambiano i suonatori ma la musica è sempre quella. English translation: The musicians changed but the song is the same.Idiomatic meaning: The melody's changed but the song remains the same. Chi più sa, meno crede. English translation: The more one knows, the less one believes. Chi prima non pensa in ultimo sospira. English translation: He who first does not think breathes his last.Idiomatic meaning: Look before you leap. Chi sa fa e chi non sa insegna. English translation: Those who know, do, and those who don't, teach. Chi s'aiuta, Dio l'aiuta. English translation: God helps those who help themselves. Chi tace acconsente. English translation: Silence gives consent. Chi tardi arriva male alloggia. English translation: Those who arrive late lodge poorly. Chi trova un amico trova un tesoro. English translation: He who finds a friend, finds a treasure. Chi va piano, va sano; chi va sano, va lontano. / Chi va piano va sano e va lontano. English translation: He who goes softly, goes safely / He who goes safely, goes far.Idiomatic meaning: Slowly but surely. Chi vince ha sempre ragione. English translation: Might makes right. chiodo scaccia chiodo English translation: One nail drives out another nail.Idiomatic meaning: Out with the old, in with the new. While the phrase above can be used for a variety of situations, it’s generally used for relationships. Con niente non si fa niente. English translation: You can't make something from nothing. Casa mia, casa mia, per piccina che tu sia, tu mi sembri una badìa. English translation: My home, my home, as tiny as you are, you seem like an abbey to me.Idiomatic meaning: East or west, home is best. Casa senza fimmina 'mpuvirisci. (Sicilian proverb) English translation: How poor is a home without a woman! Chi ben comincia è a metà dell'opera. English translation: A good start is half the battle. Chi cento ne fa, una ne aspetti. English translation: Who does one hundred of them awaits one of them.Idiomatic meaning: What goes around comes around. Chi cerca trova. English translation: Seek and you shall find. Chi di spada ferisce di spada perisce. English translation: He who lives by the sword dies by the sword. Chi è causa del suo male piange se stesso. English translation: He who has created his own evil cries over the same.Idiomatic meaning: He who has made his bed must lie in it. Chi fa da sé, fa per tre. English translation: He who works by himself does the work of three (people). Idiomatic meaning: Do it yourself if you want it done right. Chi fa falla, e chi non fa sfarfalla. English translation: Those who act make mistakes and those who do nothing really blunder. Chi ha avuto ha avuto e chi ha dato ha dato. English translation: What's done is done. Chi ha fretta vada piano. English translation: Make haste slowly. Chi ha moglie ha doglie. English translation: A wife means pains. Chi la fa l’aspetti. English translation: Who does it awaits it.Idiomatic meaning: What goes around, comes around. Chi non fa, non falla. English translation: Those who do nothing make no mistakes. Chi non ha moglie non ha padrone. English translation: A man without a wife is a man without a master. Chi non risica, non rosica. English translation: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Chi lascia la strada vecchia per la nuova sa quel che lascia, ma non sa quel che trova. English translation: Who leaves the old road for the new knows what he leaves, but doesn’t know what he will find. Idiomatic meaning: Better the devil you know than the one you don’t know. Animal Related Proverbs Cane che abbaia non morde. English translation: The dog that barks doesn't bite.Idiomatic meaning: His bark is worse than his bite. Chi dorme non piglia pesci. English translation: Who sleeps doesn't catch fishes.Idiomatic meaning: The early bird catches the worm. Chi lava il capo all'asino perde il ranno e il sapone. English translation: He who scrubs the head of an ass loses lye and soap.Idiomatic meaning: All for nothing. Chi pecora si fa, il lupo se la mangia. English translation: Those who make themselves sheep will be eaten by the wolf. Campa cavallo! You may also hear “campa cavallo che l’erba cresce.” English translation: Living horse!Idiomatic meaning: Fat chance! Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Hale, Cher. "Italian Proverbs Beginning With 'C'." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/italian-proverbs-beginning-with-c-4039682. Hale, Cher. (2023, April 5). Italian Proverbs Beginning With 'C'. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/italian-proverbs-beginning-with-c-4039682 Hale, Cher. "Italian Proverbs Beginning With 'C'." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/italian-proverbs-beginning-with-c-4039682 (accessed June 3, 2023). copy citation