proverbs. Proverbs are pithy statements that summarize in a few choice words practical truths relating to some aspect of everyday life. The Spanish novelist Cervantes defined a proverb as “a short sentence based on long experience.” From a literary point of view, that isn’t a bad definition. Some people think that our English word proverb comes from the Latin proverbium, which means “a set of words put forth,” or, “a saying supporting a point.” Or, it may come from the Latin pro (“instead of,” “on