english proverb starting with x
American proverb words starting with letter X

English Proverbs Starting with X

In this lesson, we cover essential American proverbs that start with letter X with examples. You can use them in your daily conversations. Just follow examples and write them down a few times to learn them very well.

Proverb Recap

In our previous lesson, we covered American Proverbs Beginning with W.

 

English Proverbs Starting with X with Meaning

 

You’re never too old to learn.

(No matter what age you are, you can still learn something new.)

 

You are what you eat.

(Whatever you eat will determine your health.)

 

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

(You can bring a person or an animal to a situation, but you can’t force participation or activity.)

 

You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

(You can’t have everything you want to have.)

 

You can’t get blood out of a turnip.

(It’s impossible to get something from an object that doesn’t possess the substance you desire.)

 

You can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear.

(You can’t make something beautiful or useful from bad or inferior material.)

 

You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.

(It’s hard to avoid making mistakes or breaking things when you build something.)

 

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

(People who are old don’t learn new things easily–if at all.)

 

You can’t judge a book by its cover.

(It’s not possible or fair to make a decision about the inner qualities of a person based only on what he or she looks like.)

 

You can’t win them all.

(You can’t always win. Sometimes you lose.)

 

You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

(It’s better to be nice and polite than to be rude and mean. People are more attracted to someone who is respectful and courteous.)

 

You reap what you sow.

(Outcomes are determined by behavior. If a person’s behavior is bad, it will probably result in a negative consequence in the future.)

 

Youth is wasted on the young.

(Young people don’t fully appreciate the advantages of their youth.)

 

Related Proverb Lessons

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English Proverb Outline

If you wish to see all HiCafe lessons related to English proverbs, you can visit the Popular and Practical American Proverbs page.

 

English Fluency Resources

If you like to read all of lessons related to English expressions, phrases, idioms, proverbs, slang and words, you can visit our Improve English Fluency page.