Top ten best proverbs about language learning

An often-heard saying is that proverbs are the flowers of popular wit and the treasures of popular wisdom. Often short and simple and popularly known and repeated, these nuggets of wisdom express a truth based on the practical experience of humankind, and the idiosyncrasies of a people and their culture in time and history.

This article introduces you to the ten best language-related proverbs out there. While quotations about language learning, such as from authors and influential personalities, abound, actual proverbs are less easy to come by. If you are familiar with some additional nuggets of wisdom that refer to language learning, perhaps from your place of origin, I would be very much indebted if you could share it with the rest of us in the comments section below. In the meantime, enjoy!

1) To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world. – Chinese proverb

In Chinese: 学习一门语言，就是多了一个观察世界的窗口。

2) Those who know many languages live as many lives as the languages they know. — Czech proverb

In Czech: Ti, kteří znají mnoho jazyků, žijí tolik životů, kolik jazyků znají.

3) One who speaks only one language is one person, but one who speaks two languages is two people. — Turkish Proverb

4) A new language is a new life. — Persian Proverb

In Persian: یک زبان جدید یک زندگی جدید است..

5) Learn a language, and you'll avoid a war. — Arab Proverb

In Arabic: تعلم لغة، وسوف تتجنب الحرب..

6) With a language, you can go to Rome. — Quebec Proverb

In French: Avec une langue, tu peux aller à Rome.

7) If you want people to understand you, speak their language. — African Proverb

8) Love has its own language, but marriage falls back on the local dialect. — Russian proverb

9) Learn a new language and get a new soul. — Czech Proverb

10) The best time to learn a language was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. — Lingholic

This article originally appeared on Lingholic.com.