[ti:Proverbs Part One] [ar: Barbara Klein] [al:WORDS AND THEIR STORIES] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]Go to 51VOA.COM for more... [00:10.16]Now, the VOA [00:12.45]Special English program [00:14.74]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. [00:17.39]Today we talk about proverbs. [00:20.92]A proverb is a short, [00:23.16]well known saying that [00:25.65]expresses a common truth or belief. [00:29.43]Proverbs are found [00:31.42]in most cultures and [00:33.91]are often very old. [00:36.00]In American history, [00:38.63]Benjamin Franklin was famous [00:41.12]for his proverbs. [00:42.82]Franklin lived [00:44.66]in the seventeen hundreds. [00:46.56]He was a leader of the American [00:49.74]Revolution against English rule. [00:52.83]He was also a scientist, [00:56.06]inventor and writer. [00:59.20]For many years, [01:00.69]Franklin published a book [01:02.53]called "Poor Richard's Almanac." [01:05.57]He included many proverbs [01:08.21]that he had heard or created. [01:10.54]Some of them are [01:12.68]still used today. [01:14.23]Like this one: [01:15.97]"Early to bed and early to rise [01:19.40]makes a man healthy, [01:21.39]wealthy and wise." [01:23.63]Franklin is also remembered [01:26.07]for other proverbs like, [01:28.26]"A penny saved is a penny earned." [01:31.30]This means that money [01:33.69]should not be wasted. [01:35.18]Here are other examples [01:38.46]of proverbs that Americans use. [01:41.60]The first ones are about love. [01:44.58]Some people say, [01:46.97]"All is fair in love and war." [01:50.46]They mean that anything [01:53.04]you do in a relationship [01:54.44]or in battle is acceptable. [01:57.32]Another proverb about love is, [02:00.31]"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." [02:04.04]This means you love someone [02:07.13]even more when he [02:09.17]or she is far away. [02:11.56]But other people say, [02:14.10]"Out of sight, out of mind." [02:16.69]You may not even think about [02:19.38]that person when he [02:20.97]or she is not with you. [02:22.91]Which of these proverbs [02:25.71]do you think is most true? [02:28.50]Another proverb says [02:31.43]"Love is blind." [02:33.58]In other words, [02:35.18]when you are in love with someone, [02:37.61]you may refuse to see anything [02:40.80]bad about that person. [02:42.34]Here is another popular saying [02:45.78]about love: [02:46.87]"The way to a man's heart [02:49.66]is through his stomach." [02:51.65]Some people believe that [02:54.29]a woman can win a man's love [02:56.58]if she prepares his favorite foods. [02:59.91]Some people are only interested [03:03.39]in having a relationship [03:05.49]with someone who is very good-looking. [03:09.28]You might tell them that [03:11.61]"Beauty is only skin deep." [03:14.55]Your girlfriend may be lovely [03:17.74]to look at, [03:18.73]but she may also have [03:20.72]some bad qualities. [03:22.26]Or the opposite may be true. [03:25.91]Your boyfriend [03:27.95]is a wonderful person, [03:29.34]but not good-looking. [03:31.33]So what a person looks like [03:34.52]is not really important. [03:36.96]Another proverb is true [03:39.64]in love and war or other situations: [03:43.72]"Actions speak louder than words." [03:47.06]It means that what you do [03:50.14]is more important than what you say. [03:53.63]Sadly, we have no more time [03:57.06]for this program. [03:58.11]So we must say, [04:00.44]"All good things must come to an end." [04:04.97](MUSIC) [04:15.42]This VOA Special English program [04:18.87]was written by Shelley Gollust. [04:21.21]I'm Barbara Klein. [04:23.15]Tell us about your favorite proverb. [04:26.58]You can send an e-mail [04:28.72]to special@voanews.com. [04:34.05]Include your name [04:35.84]and where you live. [04:37.23]And you can find more [04:39.67]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES [04:41.76]at 51voa.com.