Spanish proverbs are a subset of proverbs that are used in Western cultures in general; there are many that have essentially the same form and content as their counterparts in other Western languages. Proverbs that have their origin in Spanish have migrated to and from English, French, Flemish, German and other languages.

Origins

Many Spanish proverbs have a long history of cultural diffusion; there are proverbs, for example, that have their origin traced to Ancient Babylon and that have been transmitted culturally to Spain during the period of classical antiquity; equivalents of the Spanish proverb “En boca cerrada no entran moscas” (Silence is golden, literally "Flies cannot enter a closed mouth") belong to the cultural tradition of many African countries such as Ethiopia; having gone through multiple languages and millennia, this proverb can be traced back to an ancient Babylonian proverb. The written evidence of the use of Spanish proverbs goes far back in Spanish literature. El Cantar de Mio Cid, written at the end of the 11th or the beginning of the 12th century, is the first instance. Examples of other early works that use Spanish proverbs are the Libro de Buen Amor by Juan Ruiz in the 14th century and El Corbacho by Alfonso Martínez de Toledo in the 15th century. The first anthology of Spanish proverbs, Proverbios que dicen las viejas tras el fuego, was written by Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Santillana in the 15th century. Also in the 15th century was written the Seniloquium, an erudite and anonymous work containing a compendium of Spanish sayings and proverbs with commentaries. The language of the characters in Fernando de Rojas’ La Celestina (15th – 16th century) is enlivened with the use of proverbs. Then, of course, in the 17th century there is the renowned book Don Quixote by novelist Miguel de Cervantes. Sancho Panza, Cervantes’ earthy character, is the essential common man. His thinking habitually relies on the authority he vests in the wealth of popular cultural wisdom expressed in proverbs, which he continually quotes. In contrast, his master Don Quixote draws his references from chivalric romance books and is surprised that Sancho can find suitable proverbs for every circumstance. Don Quixote includes many Spanish proverbs. There are Spanish proverbs that contradict others; the “wisdom” that they encapsulate is not, of course, absolute. People will use those proverbs that best conform to their own particular way of approaching life. Taken together, however, they reveal the deep wellsprings of Spanish culture and of human nature in general.

Examples

Sources