مفيش حلاوة من غير نار

I found this Lebanese proverb on the Arabic forums on proz.com:

مفيش حلاوة من غير نار
Literal Meaning: You cannot make dessert without fire.
Meaning: You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs

امل لهموم في السبكة سي

اذا حلف فيك الرجل بت نعس و اذا حلف فيك النساء بت فيق If men swear to harm you, sleep through the night, but if women swear to harm you, stay awake

  This Moroccan proverb is from the Wit and Wisdom of Morocco by Edward Westermack:

اذا حلف فيك الرجل بت نعس و اذا حلف فيك النساء بت فيق
(ida halfu feek r-rajul bat na'as wa ida halfu feek an-nisa' bat fayeq)
Literal meaning: if men swear to harm you, sleep through the night, but if women swear to harm you, stay awake.
Meaning: women are more dangerous than men, as in the Kipling poem: "the female of the species is more deadly than the male"

دود الجبن من فيه The maggot is from the cheese itself.

A Syrian proverb from Arabic Proverbs Collected by Mrs. A.P. Singer by Enno Littleman:


دود الجبن من فيه
(dud ilgibna minu feehu)
Literal meaning: The maggot is from the cheese itself.
Meaning: a problem in the family is caused by one of its members.Versions of this proverb are apparently found in Egypt and Morocco. 

اللي يجوز امي اقوله يا عمي The man who marries my mother, I call him uncle.

An Egyptian proverb from wikiquote
 اللي يجوز امي اقوله يا عمي
(ilalee yajuwaz omee aquluhu ya 'amee)
Literal meaning: The man who marries my mother, I call him uncle.
Meaning: If you can't beat them, join them.

من خرج من داره اتقل مقداره A man can be humiliated if he leaves his home.

This Egyptian proverb is from Hiba on wordreference.com:


من خرج من داره اتقل مقداره
(men kharag men daro it-al me-daro)
Literal meaning:A man can be humiliated if he leaves his home.
Meaning: A man's pride will be safe as long as he is in his own house, similar to "a man's home is his castle"

مقدي وخنجرة بحزامة beggars can't be choosers

I found a very interesting thread on wordreference giving Arabic equivalents for the English proverb "beggars can't be choosers". This Iraqi version is my favorite:


  مقدي وخنجرة بحزامة
(muqadi wakhanajara bihazaama)
Literal meaning: a beggar with a dagger in his belt.
Meaning: describes someone who tries to get his own way when he doesn't really have a choice.


Unlike the English proverb, most of  these Arabic proverbs describe behavior: طرّار و يتشرّط (Tarraar wiyitsharraT), "a beggar and he sets conditions" (Saudi);  شحات ونزهي (shaHaat wiyinazee) "a beggar but acting like a rich man." (Egyptian); شحات وعايز رغيف shaHaat wi'aayiz righeef -- a beggar and he wants a (whole) loaf (Egyptian).


I guess it's a universal sentiment