With area Arbor Days at hand I thought it appropriate to reflect on how intertwined our lives are with trees. We not only use forest products multiple times every day, but their constant presence is inspiring enough to be used in literature, poetry, and music. A centuries old form of writing to teach wisdom is the proverb, a brief statement that expresses a general truth. The Bible is full of them, and they are used by about every culture on the planet. A way to juice up a proverb is to use figurative language, like: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water…”. It makes for imaginative reading that will be remembered. What follows is a listing of wise sayings where trees are expressively used.

Judge a tree from its fruits, not from its leaves. EURIPEDES
Love is flower like; Friendship is like a sheltering tree. SAMUEL COLERIDGE
Stand still. The tree ahead and the bush beside you are not lost. EINSTEIN
If you climb up a tree, you must climb down the same tree. AFRICAN PROVERB
An ungrateful man is like a hog under a tree eating acorns, but never looking up to see where they come from. TIMOTHY DEXTER
There is not a tree in heaven higher than the tree of patience. IRISH SAYING
From a fallen tree make kindling. SPANISH PROVERB
When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree. VIETNAMESE PROVERB
The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ARABIAN PROVERB
The tree of revenge does not carry fruit. DUTCH PROVERB
Evil enters like a needle and spreads like an oak tree. ETHIOPIAN PROVERB
The ripest peach is highest on the tree. JAMES RILEY
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life; but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. PROVERBS 15:4
A good word is like a good tree whose root is firmly fixed and whose top is in the sky. QURAN
It is not the last blow of the axe that fells the tree.
Even the highest tree has an axe waiting at its foot. TURKISH PROVERB
Tall trees catch much wind.
He that would have the fruit must climb the tree.
The stronger the breeze the stronger the trees.
A chameleon does not leave one tree until he is sure of another. ARABIAN PROVERB
It is only the tree loaded with fruit that the people throw stones at. FRENCH PROVERB
You should go to a pear tree for pears, not to an elm. PUBLILIUS SYRUS

By Steve Roark
TN Dept. Agriculture, Forestry Division