Which came first? Proverbs as a pithy saying or the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible. I would expect the saying came from the book as it was translated into Greek and Latin and has been around for more than a thousand years.
Considered wisdom literature, this was a widespread genre throughout the ancient Near East, and shares common ground of what was considered wisdom with Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Proverbs as expressions of advice are short and generally known by people. But have they become cliches over time - so overworked that they have lost their meaning?
So which are these? Proverbial sayings or cliches?
There are plenty more fish in the sea.
Think outside the box.
Grab the bull by the horns.
It goes without saying.
At the end of the day.
I've got my plate full.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
There's no “I” in team.
And these:
Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.
The early bird gets the worm.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
A stitch in time saves nine.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
A drop of honey catches more flies than a hogshead of vinegar.
Don't count your chickens before they've hatched.
The second set seem less precious, don't you think?
Blue flowers abound in spring - these are grape hyacinths.
The luckiest person in the world is commonly reported to be Frane Selak (1929 - 2016) from Croatia. Not all of his seven survivals from brushes with death are verifiable. A train, a car and a plane crash. In the plane crash he was blown out of a malfunctioning plane door and landed in a stack of hay.
What about when he was trying to teach his youngest son how to hold a gun. He shot himself - in the testicles. They didn't survive, but he did.
He did have a lucky lottery moment - the moment that I am interested in: "In 2003, two days after his 73rd birthday, Frane Selak won a staggering $1.1 million in the Croatian National Lottery! While he bought two houses and a boat with it, Frane also used the money to buy a small chapel to thank the Lord for all of his fortune. After $1.1 million and the 7 near-death experiences, he better be thankful."
All that survival from horrible events seems miraculous to me rather than lucky. My sense of luck is the lottery kind of luck. That seems to attract us the most. Here's the lucky lottery winner:
"Did you know that the chance of you winning a lottery is 1 in 200 million? In fact, you are more likely to die getting struck by an asteroid than win a lottery. How would you explain Joan R. Ginther’s situation then? She won a lottery not once, but an unimaginable 4 times! Her life changed when she first won a cool $5.4 million, only to win $2 million more 10 years later. It doesn’t end there. 2 years later she won $3 million, and a staggering $10 million in 2008! "
And a joke on the topic. The lucky number 5
I was walking down the street a few days ago I happened upon my good friend Tim. I waved him over and told him I had the craziest dream the other night.
Tim listened as I told him that the dream consisted of just one thing. A huge, bright, number -5-. It was made of gold and shined like the sun. Tim's eyebrows went up with curiosity. I continued to tell him that the first thing I did that day was to look up the local horse racing track contenders.
Tim raised an eyebrow. I told him that the number 5 contender in the 5th race was named "The Fifth Element." Tim started grinning. Then I told him of what I did to make sure I get my luck working in my favor.
I ate 5 bowls of cereal for breakfast and drank 5 cups of orange juice
I went for a 5 mile jog to feel good.
I spent 5 minutes in the shower washing off.
I dressed in the 5th shirt I found.
I sat in my car for 5 minutes before beginning to drive, then I drove to the racetrack and parked in the 5th stall in the 5th row.
I entered through the 5th admissions gate and bought 5 programs.
I went to the 5th betting window and bet $555 on the 5th horse in the 5th race.
I went and sat in the 5th row of the bleachers making sure there were 5 people sitting on both sides of me.
I settled in and waited for the race to start.
"Well," said Tim. "Did your horse win??!?"
I frowned at Tim and said, "Stupid horse came in 5th."
