… our popular psychology as an emanation of the national spirit and the mainstream of the Bulgarian worldview. When worldly experience and profundity of thought find a laconic expression, the result is a brief sentence, as striking as it is revealing. It is often claimed that Bulgarians are earthy creatures who prefer to avoid the extremes of daily life; widespread belief would have it that conformism is the better policy. This is perhaps the rational paradigm that gave rise to sayings like, “Contemplate peace, lest thou contemplatest strife.” Even in romance, Bulgarians plant their feet firmly on the ground: “Dwell upon love, and not upon blemish,” say elderly folks. Yet, another worldview and another existential formula are also abroad, giving rise to the saying, “Whilst the clever reason, madness is in season.” This goes one better with the saying, “Let the Lord spurn me, for the devil proffers gold for me.” This saying also voices a traditional, according to some, lack of piety: most likely a false interpretation left-over from Communist times. Whoever says, “With the priest drunk, the parish is sunk,” passes comment on matters social, not clerical.
Bulgarians are used to tackling challenge on their own: “When you be stuck in mud, wait not for Krali Marko the brave to pluck you from the rut.” The universal view has it that 'the Bulgarian way' is to overdo toil, rather than rest: “Invite the donkey to wedding, yet ask him to bring his back-plate.” The thread of individualism also shows in the proposition that “Wolves ate the common weal,” meaning that one ought to rely on one’s own devices.
A keen mind is among the most highly valued attributes of this earthy type: “A sharp man would split cotton thread in two and have enough left over to sew pants for a flea.” And while industriousness earns respect, those full of praise for themselves also get a mention: “The loudest hen lays the fewest eggs.”
There is much humour in Bulgarian sayings: “It becomes him like a stick becomes a beaten dog.” Bulgarian sayings and proverbs are as pure and brilliant as jewels: a verbal treasure-trove our forefathers passed on to us that we in our turn are duty-bound to pass on to our children’s children.

Bulgarian proverbs and sayings are often described by explorers of our national psychology as an epitome of the national spirit and a focal point of the Bulgarian worldview. When the experience of life and the depth of thought crystallize into a succinct form, the result is a short sentence of striking wit, which sounds like a revelation. Bulgarians are often said to be pragmatic people who try to avoid extremities in their everyday life – the widespread opinion is that conformity is always a better policy. It is probably this thought paradigm that underlies the conception of sayings, such as: “If you seek trouble, you will always find it.” Even when speaking of love, Bulgarians remain down to earth – old people say: “Love your sweetheart with all his faults”. There is, however, another type of worldview, another existential formula in the core of the saying: “While the wise do their thinking, the crazy will do their action.” They go even further by saying, that “If God would not want me, the Devil would pay to have me”. The last also gives voice to the traditional, according to some people, lack of religiousness – a wrong belief that has probably remained from the years of communism. The conclusion, that “If the priest drinks, the parish is never sober”, relates more to the social and not to the religious criticism. Bulgarians are used to facing their own challenges: “If your wheels get stuck in the mud, don't wait for Krali Marko to take them out.” The general impression is that the “Bulgarian lot” is to overdo the work and neglect the leisure: “The donkey was invited to a wedding, but was told to bring his packsaddle.” The thread of individualism may be traced in the ratiocination: “The common business is nobody’s business”, meaning that you should rely only on yourself. Among the most valued qualities of this pragmatic man is his ingenuity: “His wit is as sharp as to split the thread in two and to sew shalwars for the flea”. The industrious are respected, but those who are able to praise themselves are also set as an example: “A hen that cackles most lays least”. There is a lot of humor in our proverbs as well: “Luck follows him as the stick follows a beaten dog”. The Bulgarian proverbs and sayings are as refined and as perfect as precious stones – a wealth of words left by our fathers for us to treasure and keep for the children of our children.

Researchers of our national psychology often refer to Bulgarian proverbs and adages as being both a projection of our national spirit and the heart of the Bulgarian perception of the world. Whenever worldly knowledge and the depth of human thought employ a proverbial expression, the result is a short sentence that amazes us with its wittiness and sounds like a revelation. Many say that the Bulgarians are down-to-earth people who endeavor to avoid any extremes; according to prevailing opinion, it is better to practice conformity.

Probably, this mental paradigm underlies the creation of proverbs like, “Had he stayed out of trouble, he would not have been in a fix.” Even regarding amorous relationships, the Bulgarians have both feet firmly on the ground: “Love your loved one in spite of their faults,” as the elderly say. However, another perception of the world does exist. A different existential formula gave birth to the proverb, “While wise men ponder whether to jump or not, unwise men are finished jumping.” This goes even further with the saying, “If God did not want me in heaven, Satan would offer bribes to have me in hell.” According to some, the latter reflects a traditional lack of religiosity, a surviving remnant from the Communist era, which might be an erroneous perception. When people say, “If a parish priest gets drunk, his parishioners never sober up,” this is more or less a logical statement that is really a type of social, rather than religious criticism.

The Bulgarians are accustomed to confronting challenges on their own: “He who gets his cart stuck in the mire, must not expect Prince Marko to get him out.” General belief is that the Bulgarian share in national psychology would be excessive work, and not excessive rest, as declared in: “Being invited to a wedding reception, a donkey was ordered to do the donkey work.” A trace of individualism is discernible in the following statement: “Partnerships should be thrown upon dung heaps,” that is, one should rely entirely on oneself.

Yet, one of those down-to-earth people’s most extolled virtues is their sharp wit: “Smart as a whip, he splits a thread in half and makes shalwar pants for fleas out of it.” Hard-working people are treated with respect. Those bragging about themselves are also cited, however, for setting a not-so-favorable example: “It is not the hen that cackles most that lays the most eggs.” We also have many humorous proverbs: “He is as lucky as a thrashed dog.”

Bulgarian proverbs and adages are refined and perfected like jewels — a linguistic opulence handed down to us from our fathers that we must preserve for our children’s children.

Bulgarian proverbs and sayings are often portrayed by researchers delving into the depths of Bulgarian national psychology as an emanation of the nation’s soul, and as the core of the Bulgarian worldview. Whenever lifelong experience and profundity of thought become shaped into a laconic statement, the result will be a short sentence astounding in its wittiness, and perceived as a revelation. Bulgarian people have often been characterized as down-to-earth folks seeking to avoid anything extreme in their day-to-day life. According to a wide-spread belief, sticking to a conformist policy will keep you on the safe side. This psychological paradigm was probably in the origin of proverbs such as “If he had remained sitting, he would have suffered nothing” (the rough equivalent of “Curiosity killed the cat”.) Even in love matters, Bulgarians remain firmly with their feet on the ground: “Love your sweetheart with his or her failings,” old people say. However, there is also another, parallel mindset, a different existential formula, which gave birth to the saying “By the time the wise put their wisdom to good use, the fools will have put their foolishness to a bad one” ( “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread“.) People are going further yet, affirming: “If God doesn’t want me, the Devil will offer bribes to get me.” The latter also voices the traditional – at least, according to some – lack of religious beliefs; this is probably a misconception, still-surviving from the Communist era. When people would say “If the priest gets drunk, the village will never sober up,” the judgment is loaded with social, rather than religious criticism.

Bulgarians are used to facing challenges all by themselves: “If your wheels get stuck in the mud, do not expect help from Jack.” The general feeling is that the “Bulgarian lot” is to overdo one’s work rather than their rest: “A donkey got invited to a wedding, but was ordered to bring its harness along.” The streak of individualism is also apparent from the saying “Joint work gets eaten by wolves” ( “Too many cooks spoil the broth”), i.e., you should only rely on yourself.

For these down-to-earth people, a sharp mind is one of the most valued qualities: “His wit is so sharp as to split threads and make pants for fleas.” Hard workers are held in high esteem, but people able to praise their own achievements are equally shown as an example (sic): “It is not the hen that cackles most which lays most eggs.”

There is also a lot of humour in Bulgarian proverbs: “It agrees with him as a stick with a beaten dog.”

Bulgarian proverbs and sayings are as pure and perfect as gemstones – a literary heirloom passed to us by our fathers that we must preserve for our children’s children.

Our mentality is like a derivation of the national spirit and focus on the Bulgarian’s view of the world. When life experience and the depth of thought find concise expression, the result is a short sentence that strikes with wit and sounds like a revelation. It is often argued that the Bulgarian person is an earthly person and in everyday life, seeks to avoid the extreme, as according to popular opinion it is better to follow the policy of conformism. It is likely that this paradigm of thinking is underlying in the creation of sayings as in “Let it be peacefully sat down and not a miracle seen.” Even in love, the Bulgarian person remains on their feet, standing healthy. “Love your sweetheart and their flaws” is what the elderly people say. But their view of the world is different again, another existential formula which relates to the saying is “When the smart get smart, the crazy go crazy.”
He went even further, by claiming that “If god will not accept me then I’ll get the devil to bribe him for me.” The latter one shows a voice and the tradition which, according to some, lacks religiosity. It is likely that this false understanding comes from those remaining years of communism. When they say “If the priest gets drunk, the village doesn’t sober up”, this is something closer to the judgment identified by social criticism rather than religious criticism.
The Bulgarians are used to coping with challenges alone: “Are your wheels sinking, don’t wait for King Marko to sort them out.” The general feeling is that “the Bulgarian’s role” is to be able to overcome the work and not the rest: “They invited a donkey to the wedding but they told him to bring along his saddle too.”
The thread of individualism is evident in judgment: “The wolves ate up the common work” i.e. they rely completely on themselves. Amongst the most valuable and highest qualities of this earthly person, is his sharp mind: “His mind is so sharp he could split thread and make harem trousers for fleas.” The hard working one is happy about the respect but he, who also manages to give himself appraisal, also gives the example of: “Chicken, those who cluck all day lay the least.”
There is also a lot of humour in our sayings: “Take it like a dog being beaten by a stick.”
The Bulgarian sayings and mottos are treated and perfected like a precious, valuable stone – a rich vocabulary handed down to us by our fathers, which we must preserve so as to pass them on to our children’s children.

Our mentality as an emanation of the national spirit and focus of the Bulgarian worldview.
When experience and depth of thought find concise expression, the result is a short sentence that strikes with wit and sounds like a revelation.
It is often argued that Bulgarians earth person and routine tries to avoid extremes - according to popular opinion it is better to follow a policy of conformism.
Perhaps this paradigm of thinking underlying the creation of sayings like "If you had sat peacefully you would not have seen miracle."
Even Bulgarians love remains firmly standing on their feet - "Libby liberal with his odd," said the elderly.
But remains and other types of worldview, another existential formula rise saying "While to have in mind be smart, be romp crazy."
It got even further, claiming that "If God I will not, give the devil swag for me."
The latter is the traditional voice and some lack of religiosity, which is probably one false understanding left by years of communism.
When you say "If the priest is drunk, the village not passes his drunkenness" it is more judgment, identical to the social rather than religious criticism.
Bulgarians are used to cope with the challenges: "I sunk your wheels, do not wait King Marko to give them up."
The general feeling is that the "Bulgarian title" to over-work, not holiday "Invites donkey to wedding , but told him to take and saddle."
The thread of individualism evident in judgment: "Everybody's business is nobody's business", ie
rely only on themselves.
Among the most appreciated features of this earthly human mind is sharp: "his mind so much as sharp - split thread and do pajamas for the flea."
Industrious enjoys respect, but one that manages to praise himself, is also given as an example: "Hen, where most chuckle at least lay."
In our proverbs has a lot of humor, "Walk it like a beaten dog stick".
Bulgarian proverbs are treated as perfect and precious stones - a vocabulary, bequeathed to us by our fathers, which we must preserve for our children's children.