Caution Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old caution quotes, caution sayings, and caution proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

A fool and his money are quickly parted. J. Bridges
A watched pot never boils. unknown
A word once let out of the cage cannot be whistled back again. Horace
Always be prepared. unknown
Be careful what you ask for; you may get it. unknown
Be careful what you wish for. unknown
Be ever vigilant but never suspicious. English (on vigilance)
Because we focused on the snake, we missed the scorpion. Egyptian (on caution and care)
Better the devil you know than the one you don't R. Taverner
Better to be safe than sorry. Samuel Lover
Beware a rickety wall, a savage dog and a quarrelsome person. Iranian (on caution and care)
Beware the door with too many keys. Portuguese (on vigilance)
Beware the fury of a patient man. John Dryden
Beware the Greeks bearing gifts. Virgil
Beware the person with nothing to lose. Italian (on prudence)
Buyer beware. Latin Proverb "Caveat emptor"
Choose your neighbors before you buy your house. Hausa (West African) (on planning)
Creditors have better memories than debtors. English (on business)
Do not allow sins to get beyond creeping. Hawaiian (on the conduct of life)
Don't be caught flat unknown
Don't sail out farther than you can row back. Danish (on prudence)
Easy does it. T. Taylor
Eggs have no business dancing with stones. Haitian (on prudence)
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. John Philpot Curran
Fear the Greeks bearing gifts. Virgil
Fine feathers don't make fine birds. Aesop
Fish don't get caught in deep water. Malay (on caution and care)
Forewarn'd, forearm'd. Benjamin Franklin
Great good nature without prudence is a great misfortune. Benjamin Franklin
He that scatters thorns, let him not go barefoot. Benjamin Franklin
Hear reason or she will make you feel her. Benjamin Franklin
If you are going a long way, go slowly. Ilocano (Filipino) (on journeys)
If you buy what you don't need, you steal from yourself. Swedish (on thrift)
If you call one wolf, you invite the pack. Bulgarian (on caution and care)
Ill weeds grow fast. John Heywood
It's an ill wind that blows no good. John Heywood
It's but little good you'll do a George Eliot
Keep no more cats than will catch mice. J. Dare
Look before you leap. John Heywood
Measure a thousand times; cut once. Turkish (on caution and care)
Mind your p's and q's. English Proverb
Never reveal the bottom of your purse or the depth of your mind. Italian (on caution and care)
Nothing seems expensive on credit. Czech (on indebtedness)
Once a word is spoken, it flies, you can't catch it. Russian Proverb
Once bitten, twice shy. unknown
One must not play on the nose of a sleeping bear. German (on prudence)
One thing leads to another. unknown
Only a fool tests the water with both feet. African Proverb
Out of the frying pan, into the fire. John Heywood
Penny wise, pound foolish. Robert Burton
Pick your poison. unknown
Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite. Colonial American Saying
Sleeping people can't fall down. Japanese (on caution and care)
Tap even a stone bridge before crossing it. Korean (on vigilance)
The crab that walks too far, falls into the pot. Haitian (on caution and care)
The hardest person to awaken is the person already awake. Tagalog (Filipino)(on vigilance)
The honey is sweet but the bee has a sting. Benjamin Franklin
The prudent embark when the sea is calm Maori (on prudence)
The second word makes the quarrel. Japanese Proverb
Walls have ears. unknown
When in doubt, do nothing. George John Whyte-Melville
Whoever has a tail of straw should not get too close to the fire. Latin American (on caution and care)
You never know what lies right around the corner. unknown
Distrust and caution are the parents of security. Benjamin Franklin
Caution is the eldest child of wisdom. Victor Hugo
Choose your friends with caution. Plan your future with purpose, and frame your life with faith. Thomas S. Monson
It is a good thing to learn caution by from the misfortunes of others. Publilius Syrus
Be slow of tongue and quick of eye. Miguel de Cervantes
Caution is the lower story of prudence. Thomas Carlyle
Every step of life shows much caution is required. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The scars of others should teach us caution. St. Jerome
Among mortals second thoughts are wisest. Euripides
Caution is the confidential agent of selfishness. Woodrow Wilson
Caution comes too late when we are in the midst of evils. Walter Scott
Caution always, but when a man acts he should act suddenly and with decision. Louis L'Amour
And let us with Caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. George Washington
Caution is the path to mediocrity. Gliding, passionless mediocrity is all that most people think they can achieve. Frank Herbert
A little caution outflanks a large cavalry. Otto von Bismarck
One of the rules of caution is not to be too cautious. Bahya ibn Paquda
It requires as much caution to tell the truth as to conceal it. It requires as much caution to tell the truth as to conceal it.
More caution and perhaps more restraint are necessary in breaking a fast than in keeping it. Mahatma Gandhi
Deliberate with caution, but act with decision and yield with graciousness, or oppose with firmness. Charles Caleb Colton
Throw caution to the wind and just do it. Carrie Underwood
Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness. Bertrand Russell
What thou seest, speak of with caution. Solon
Caution, though very often wasted is a good risk to take. Josh Billings
What we call the wisdom that comes with age is usually simple caution. Jessica Zafra
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be. Kurt Vonnegut
Be careful who you trust, the devil was once an angel. Ziad K. Abdelnour
Be careful who you call your friends. I’d rather have four quarters than one hundred pennies. Al Capone
Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them. W. Clement Stone
Be careful not to compromise what you want most for what you want now. Zig Ziglar
‎Be careful not to keep your eyes glued to detail. Stand far enough away to get a perspective of the whole. Jean Webster