American Culture and Language doc

American Culture and Language:
Famous Proverbs and Sayings
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When you come to the United States to live and work, you can learn a
lot about the American culture through the language. Proverbs and
sayings that are commonly used are a great way to gather clues about
cultural values and cultural norms in the United States.

Where there's a will, there's a way
Of course, not all people in the US have the same values because the US
is made up of so many different kinds of people. However, proverbs do
show us patterns and common themes and they tell us what is important
to a lot of the people because these phrases have been used as a part of
the language for many years.
Today, I will give you 6 proverbs that are common in United States
culture and American English what those proverbs might say about our
culture and what a lot of people value in the United States.
6 Common Proverbs in the United States:
 "Actions speak louder than words" - This proverb means that if
you have something that you are going to do, you should do it instead of
just talking about it. In the American business world, people seem to
make decisions and take action more quickly than in other cultures.
There is an emphasis on making decisions quickly and acting based on
intuition.
 "He who hesitates is lost"- This is another example of the value
that we place on taking action instead of reflecting and thinking about
the decision. This proverb suggests that if you take too much time to
think about something, you might lose the opportunity to act.
 "Nothing ventured, nothing gained"- If you don't take a risk,
there is no opportunity. In the US business world and in other areas,
many people place a high value on risk taking. Many small businesses

exist because of someone's dream. Business owners know that there is
risk involved in starting a business, but they also know that if they don't
take a risk, there is no opportunity to be successful. The value of risk
taking could be rooted in US history and the individualist mentality that
is common in the US.
 "If you want something done right, do it yourself"- Self-
reliance and individualism are two very common cultural values in the
United States. The idea of doing things "by yourself" is encouraged even
for children. American parents praise their kids when they are able to do
things on their own, without relying on their parents.
 "Where there's a will, there's a way"- This saying means that if
you have the motivation to do something, you will find a way to do it.
This value of hard work is very common in the US culture. In addition to
this proverb, many stories, poems, songs and movies present the same
basic value.
 "Every cloud has a silver lining"-This means that even a bad
situation offers something positive. The value of optimism is important
to a lot of people in the United States. It is common to look for the
positive aspect of any negative situation.