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Folk Sayings on Fortune and Fate
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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Fate and Fortune -- Italy (National)
     
      o in Italian: Addormentarsi in un baleno.
      o in English: (Literally) To go to sleep in a whale. (Equivalent): Out like a light!
     
      Contributed by Frank Romano
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #62047

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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Fate and Fortune -- Italy (National)
     
      o in Italian: Questo mondo e fatto a scale, chi le scende e chi le sale.
      o in English: (Literally) The world is made of stairs, some climb up, and some descend. (Equivalent) Some are moving up in the world, some are moving down.
     
      Contributed by Frank Romano
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #834007

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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Fate and Fortune -- Italy (National)
     
      o in Italian: Come il diavolo e l'acqua santa.
      o in English: (Literally) To be like devil and holy water. (Equivalent): Like night and day.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #818354

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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Fortune and Fate -- Italy (National)
     
      o in Italian: Ognuno porta la sua croce.
      o in English: Every man has his cross to bear.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #828417

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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Fate and Fortune -- Italy (National)
     
      o in Italian: Non puoi tenerti la torta e mangiartela.
      o in English: You can't have your cake and eat it too.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress # 0051r

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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Fate and Fortune -- Italy (National)
     
      o in Italian: La vita non e tutta rosa.
      o in English: (Literally) Life is not all that rosy. (Equivalent) Life is not a bed of roses.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #1168469

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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Fate and Fortune -- Italy (National)
     
      o in Italian: A chi trascura il poco manchera pane e fuoco.
      o in English: (Literally) He who disregards the little will miss the bread and fire. (Equivalent) Stop and smell the roses. Or, Be grateful for what you have.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #1585572

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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Fate and Fortune -- Italy (National)
     
      o in Italian: Tutto fumo e niente arrosto.
      o in English: All smoke and no fire.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress #0590r

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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Fate and Fortune -- Italy (National)
     
      o in Italian: Il re regna, ma non governa.
      o in English: (Literally) The king reigns, but does not govern. (Meaning) Power is not wielded by those who are at the top; those who are behind the scenes do so. Or, it's not the head of the household (the father) who runs the home, but his wife.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #1146949

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Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverb or Folk Saying on Fate and Fortune -- Italy (National)
     
      o in Italian (Dialect): Accompagnati con chi e meglio di te, e fagli le spese.
      o in English: Accompany yourself with people who are better than you, even if you have to pay their expenses. (Meaning) Suck up to those in power, and you'll have it made.
     
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #487959

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