American (United States) Proverbs

A fault confessed is half redressed.

Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.

Hunger finds no fault with moldy corn.

Every man is occasionally what he ought to be perpetually

If we blame others for our failures, then we should also give others credit for our successes.

After all is said and done, more is said than done.

The opportunity of a lifetime is seldom so labeled.

The tiger crouches before he leaps upon his prey.

An ounce of proof is worth a ton of assertions.

Human nature is the same all the world over.

One who cannot respect himself cannot respect another.

Self-help is the best help.

An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit.

Boys will be boys.

Don’t cry over spilt milk.

The unknown is always great.

The simplest things are the most startling.

The road to the head lies through the heart.

Better to risk a little than to lose the whole.

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.

It takes two to make a bargain.

Loose lips sink ships.

Man is greater than the tools he invents.

Variety is the spice of life.

Don’t put robbers to work in a bank.

You made your bed, now lie in it.

Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.

Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.

There are two sides to every story—and then there’s the truth.

We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

If you make yourself into a doormat, people will wipe their feet on you.

Don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

We may give advice, but we cannot give conduct.

Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?

A smile is worth a thousand words.

At the center of climb is “I”

Doctor’s faults are covered with earth, and rich men’s with money.

If you are always dwelling in trouble, change your address.

A crooked cornstalk can have a straight ear.

There’s no use asking the cow to pour you a glass of milk.

Don’t mistake chicken dung for an egg.

When the bait’s worth more than the fish, it’s time to stop fishing.

What goes around comes around.

If slavery isn’t wrong, nothing’s wrong.

Observe with the eyes; listen with the ears; shut the mouth. (Hawaiian)

Do not disturb the water that is tranquil. (Hawaiian)

Strive for the summit. (Hawaiian)

The quickest way to double yur money is to fold it over and put back it in yur pocket. (Cowboy)

Never miss a good chance to shut up. (Cowboy)

It don’t take no genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep. (Cowboy)

If yuh ever find yurself in a hole, the first thin’ to do is stop diggin’. (Cowboy)

There’s two theories to arguin’ with a woman—and neither one works. (Cowboy)

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta uh that comes from bad judgment. (Cowboy)

If yur ridin’ ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there. (Cowboy)

Lettin the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier’n puttin’ it back. (Cowboy)

Timin’ has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance. (Cowboy)

If it don’t seem like it’s worth the effort, it probably ain’t. (Cowboy)

The biggest rascal you’ll probably ever need to deal with watches you shavin’ his face in the mirror every mornin’. (Cowboy)

Never ask a barber if he thinks yuh need a haircut. (Cowboy)

After weeks of beans and taters, even a change to taters and beans is good. (Cowboy)

Never take to sawin’ on the branch that’s supportin’ you—unless you’re bein’ hung from it. (Cowboy)

When you’re trying’ somethin’ new, the fewer people that know about it, the better. (Cowboy)

Yuh don’t need decorated words to make yer meanin’ clear. Say it plain, and save some breath for breathin’. (Cowboy)

Never lie unless yuh have to, and if yuh don’t have a dang good lie, stick to the truth. (Cowboy)

It’s best to keep yer troubles pretty much to yerself, ‘cause half the people yu’d tell ‘em to won’t give a dang, and the other half will be glad to hear yu’ve got ‘em. (Cowboy)

The length of a conversation don’t tell nothin’ ‘bout the size of the intellect. (Cowboy)

There be treasure in them thar hills. (Pirate)

Once out yonder tis only the rules that can save you—the rules of us pirates, that is. (Pirate)

Where’s the loot? (Pirate)

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (Legal)

When the law is against you, argue the facts. When the facts are against you, argue the law. When both are against you, change the subject. (Legal)

Buy on the rumor; sell on the news. (Wall Street)

Buy low, sell high. (Wall Street)

An analyst is only as good as his last idea. (Wall Street)

The United States of America is among the largest (3.6 million square miles) and most populous (315 million people) nations in the world. The country consists of 50 states that resemble semi-independent countries, as well as the District of Columbia capital, and several island territories that are partially self-governed.

The United States is noted for its wide diversity of people from various backgrounds. This has created both a unified culture, as well as many distinct cultural differences throughout the country.

Native Americans in America

Native Americans (a.k.a. American Indians) were the only inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere (the Americas—North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean Islands) for thousands of years. Some scientists and archeologists believe they are people who came from Asia to North America somewhere between 33,000 BC and 13,000 BC.

There is no telling how many Native Americans inhabited the Western Hemisphere before Europeans arrived there in 1492, but estimates run from about 30 to 120 million throughout the Western Hemisphere, and anywhere from 1 to 15 million in what is now the United States.

European Discovery

The European world was unaware of the entire Western Hemisphere for most of history. In 1000 AD, Vikings from Greenland briefly explored part of the North American. In 1492, a group led by Italian navigator Christopher Columbus landed on an island in the Bahamas of the Caribbean (probably San Salvador).

Forming the 13 American Colonies

The Spanish, Portuguese, English and French soon explored and conquered many parts of the Western Hemisphere, and in the 1500s and 1600s, many English settlers arrived in the easternmost region of what is now the United States, and formed the original 13 American Colonies. People from other parts of the world also settled in America.

Slavery and African Americans

In the early 1600s, Africans who had been captured and sold to European traders were transported and sold in America. Initially, they had the same legal status that was granted to white indentured servants, but by the mid 1600s, their bosses began enslaving them permanently.

American Revolution

In 1763, Britain gained control of most North American territories, and the population in Colonial America (which was still limited to primarily the easternmost part of what is currently the United States) was at over one million. British leaders taxed Americans and restricted their freedom, resulting in the Revolutionary War that started in 1775.

On July 4, 1776, the colonists declared their independence, and by 1783, they defeated the British. In 1787, a group of Americans wrote the US Constitution.

Extending Westward

Through various wars and purchases, US territory and settlement extended westward, and by the mid 1800s, the nation extended all the way from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.

Economic Growth

In the late 1700s to mid 1800s, the US experienced economic growth due to such factors as the invention of the cotton gin and the reaper, the gold rush in the West, and the introduction of large-scale manufacturing.

The Civil War

Over issues such as slavery, an American Civil War between the North (Union) and South (Confederacy) began in 1861. The Union was victorious after four years of fighting that claimed the lives of about 360,000 Union and 260,000 Confederate troops. Slavery was abolished throughout the US following the war.

Big Business to WWII

After the Civil War, the US underwent tremendous industrial growth due to investment banking, new inventions, communication advancements, progress in transportation, and development in industries such as coal, petroleum, steel, machinery, automobiles, and clothing. Many people moved from farms to work in cities.

In 1917 the US entered World War I, and played an important role in the Allied victory in 1918. The economy then grew at a frantic pace in the 1920s, but in 1929 a stock market crash triggered a severe and lengthy economic depression.

The Depression didn’t fully end until Word War II, which the US fought in from 1941 to 1945 and played a key role in defeating Germany and Japan.

Post World War II

The post World War II period marked another period of economic growth in the US, as well as a time of tremendous social progress. In the 1960s, a civil rights movement soon brought greater equality and freedom to all people in America. Other major themes in post WWII America included a conservation movement, a war in Vietnam, and a growth in advanced technology.

US Languages

The main language of the United States is (American) English, although many variations exist, such as Ebonics, Southern, Texan, New Englander (including Bostonian), Midwestern, and New Yorkese.

Because of its multiculturalism, many other languages are spoken in the US, particularly Spanish.

American Themes

Some American themes include multiculturalism, economic prosperity, business, corporate America, democracy, politics, civil rights, patriotism, television, music, dancing, nightclubs, movies, pop culture, magazines, books, literature, dining out, collecting things, beaches, parks, playgrounds, vacations, baseball, football, basketball, golf, comedy, lawsuits, art, obesity, abundance, the social security system, psychiatrists, diet fads, beer, and fast food.