20 Proverbs and Love Sayings in German

We collected some of the most popular proverbs and love sayings in German for you. Some of them we know in English as well, others are uniquely German.

It is estimated that the German language has an astonishing 250,000 sayings and proverbs, which are a kind of wisdom concentrate of our ancestors. German proverbs and sayings are a great way to learn the language, plus they also provide insight into a country’s culture. So let’s dive right in!

Love Sayings in German

1. Jeder Topf findet seinen Deckel. — There’s a lid for every pot.
   This proverb holds a comforting message for us. It may take a long time, but in the end, each of us can find the love of our lives.
2. Liebe geht durch den Magen. — Love goes through the stomach.
   This saying might be from a time, when a woman’s role was defined to be housewife and chef. But even with women luckily having more career choices, men haven’t changed that much. So as long as men like to eat, the proverb is still true: The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach
3. Pech im Spiel, Glück in der Liebe. — Bad luck in the game, good luck in love.
   How do you comfort yourself, when you lost big time in the casino? By remembering this saying which promises some kind of cosmic balance for us. You may have lost in the game, but you will be lucky in love.
4. In der Liebe und im Krieg ist alles erlaubt. — All is fair in love and war.
5. Ist Hunger groß, ist klein die Liebe. — When hunger is big, love is small.
   A rather pessimistic outlook, meaning it’s more important to be fed than to entangle in romance.
6. Liebe, die von Herzen liebt, ist am reichsten, wenn sie gibt. — Love that loves from the heart is richest when it gives.
   A rather beautiful German saying, meaning it more important to give than to receive.
   

7. Liebe macht blind. — Love makes blind.
   One of the most cited German love saying, probably we all know it’s meaning by our own experience. When you fall for someone, you tend to turn a blind eye to all their failures and shortcomings. A variation of this is “Liebe ist blind” (love is blind), which means the same thing.
8. Niemand ist perfekt. — Nobody is perfect.
   Similar to the above. We all have our faults and quirks. But true love sees beyond those.
9. Liebe vergeht, Hektar besteht. — Love fades, hectare persists.
   The Hektar is an old German area measure, still used in agriculture today. You can see the farmers of old believed more in possession of land than in fancy romance.
10. Nur von Luft und Liebe kann man nicht leben. — You can’t live on air and love alone.
11. Wer Liebe sät, wird Freude ernten. — Who sows love will reap joy.
    A nice German idiom with an optimistic attitude. An alternate version goes “Wo man Liebe aussät, da wächst Freude empor.” (Where you sow love, joy grows.)
12. Wer Tränen ernten will, muss Liebe säen. — He who wants to reap tears must sow love.
    Quite the opposite of the above and rather pessimistic. I prefer the saying above.
13. Alte Liebe rostet nicht. — Old love doesn’t rust.
    One of my favorite German sayings about love. It’s not only used to praise long lasting relationships with a partner, but also quite often as a mild form of mockery when someone sticks with his old car, bicycle, garden shed or any other possession. Anything which looks derelict, but is still kept fond by his owner.
14. Drum prüfe, wer sich ewig bindet, ob sich Herz zu Herzen findet. — Therefore test who binds himself eternally, whether heart finds to heart.
    Used to as a kind of test before marriage, meaning only wed the partner you really have deep feelings for. There’s a mockery form of this proverb, which is probably even more popular than the original:
    Drum prüfe, wer sich ewig bindet, ob sich nicht noch was Bess’res findet. — Therefore test who binds himself eternally, if he can’t find something even better.
15. Was sich liebt, das neckt sich. — What loves, teases each other.
    A reference to all the little teasings and ploys, lovers like to play with one another.
16. Wahre Schönheit kommt von innen. — True beauty comes from within.
17. Liebe ist eine Krankheit, die man haben will. — Love is a disease that you want to have.
18. Nicht die Schönheit entscheidet, wen wir lieben, sondern die Liebe entscheidet, wen wir schön finden. — It is not beauty that decides whom we love, but love decides who we find beautiful.
19. Gegen die Liebe ist kein Kraut gewachsen. — means: There’s no cure for love.
    “Kraut” here means “medicinal herb.” So basically there’s no medicinal herb that would help against love.
20. Liebeskummer ist schlimmer als Zahnweh. — Heartache is worse than toothache.
    Well, I guess we’ve all been there. It’s sad, but it is also true.

Love phrases in German

You want to declare your love to someone? In German? That’s great! Here are some romantic German phrases you can use:

1. Ich liebe dich. — I love you
   When it comes to classic words to declare your love, the phrase “Ich liebe dich” is top of the list.
2. Ich steh auf dich. — I fancy you.
   An informal phrase to declare you’re more than interested.
3. Ich bin in dich verknallt. — I have a crush on you.
   Another informal phrase you may say to your crush.
4. Ich vermisse dich. — I miss you.
   Being without your beloved is awful. Tell them about the way you feel with this German phrase.
5. Du bist die Liebe meines Lebens! — You are the love of my life!
   Wow, that really is a statement. What usually follows is a marriage proposal.

We hope you enjoyed our little collection of love sayings in German. And when you are in the mood for more romantic German expressions now, how about our article on German love words?