من جاور السعيد يسعد

Men gawer el sa’eed yes’ad

Translation: He who is close to the happy ones becomes happy.

Meaning: Happy people in this proverb, still in use, can also mean lucky/rich people. So when you’re close to people with good fortune, the chances is that some of that fortune will trickle down to you. It is not very clear whether this trickle down will come in the form of tips, or odd jobs, or just dinner invitations, but the connotation is hard cash and concrete benefits, not just smiles from across the street.

Source: Egyptian Proverbs, (Al-Ahram Center for Translation and Publishing, 1986) by Ahmed Taymour Pasha,

Translated by: Nabil Shawkat