Better bow to my faes than beg frae my friends.

Better buy than borrow.

Better cry "Feigh, saut," than "Feigh, stink."

The first can be remedied or improved in cooking; but a putrid
article cannot.

Better day the better deed.

Better do it than wish it done.

Better eat brown bread in youth than in eild.

Better fed than bred.

Better find iron than tine siller.

Better fleech a fool than fight him.

"'I have as much mind as ever I had to my dinner, to go back and
tell him to sort his horse himself, since he is as able as I am.'
'Hout tout, man!' answered Jasper, 'keep a calm sough: better to
fleech a fool than fight with him.'"--_The Monastery._

Better gang about than fa' in the dub.

Rather a long road and safety than a short one attended with danger.

Better gang to bed supperless than rise in debt.

Better gie the slight than tak it.

Better greet ower your gudes than after your gudes.

Meaning that it is better not to sell goods at all than to sell and
not be paid for them.

Better gude sale than gude ale.

Better guide weel than work sair.

Better hae than want.

Better hain weel than work sair.

Better half egg than toom doup.

"Better half an egg than empty shells."--_German._

Better half hang'd than ill married.

Better hand loose nor bound to an ill bakie.

"_Bakie_, the stake to which an ox or cow is bound to the
stall."--_Jamieson._

Better hands loose than in an ill tethering.

Better happy at court than in gude service.

Better haud at the brim than at the bottom.

Better haud by a hair than draw by a tether.

Better haud out than put out.

"Prevention is better than cure."--_English._

Better haud wi' the hounds than rin wi' the hare.

The policy of the Vicar of Bray. It is better to side with the
strongest or winning party.

Better keep the deil out than hae to put him out.

Better keep weel than make weel.

Better lang little than soon naething.

Better late thrive than never do weel.

Better laugh at your ain pint stoup, than greet and gather gear.

It is better to be merry spending money, than sorrowful acquiring
it.

Better learn frae your neebor's skaith than frae your ain.

Learn experience rather from the misfortunes of others than from
your own.

Better leave to my faes than beg frae my friends.

Better leave than lack.

That it is better to have to