The Talmud and midrashim collected thousands of pithy sayings, the pitgamim that teachers would fire off at students to make a point stick. Here is a short bouquet, preserved in Harris's 1901 Hebraic Literature, and each deserves a moment on its own.
Truth is heavy, therefore few care to carry it. The liar never breaks a sweat. It is the truth-teller whose shoulders ache.
Say little and do much. This is the same counsel the Mishnah attributes to Shammai in Pirkei Avot 1:15, reformulated here as pure proverb. Talkers are common; doers are the ones we remember.
He who multiplies words will come to sin. The more we say, the more mistakes and half-truths creep in. Avot 1:17 phrases it the same way.
Sacrifice your will for others, that they may be disposed to sacrifice their wills for you. This is Hillel's principle of mipnei darkei shalom, the ways of peace, in miniature.
Study today, delay not. Avot 2:4. The day that never comes is called tomorrow.
Look not upon your prayers as a task; let your supplications be sincere. Rote prayer is not prayer, it is muttering.
He who is loved by people is loved by God. The reverse, the Rabbis taught, is equally true.
Honor the children of the poor, for they give to Torah its splendor. The Talmud was built largely by poor men's sons. Rabbi Akiva himself began as a shepherd.
A small coin in a large jar makes a great noise. The shallow man boasts loudest.
Use your noble vase today. Tomorrow it may break. Do the good thing now.
The cat and the rat make peace over a carcass. Common greed produces strange alliances.
He who walks each day over his estate finds a coin daily. Attention, not luck, is what makes a farm prosper.
The dog follows you for the crumbs in your pocket. Know who loves you and who loves your bread.
The soldiers fight, and the kings are heroes. A sharp anti-establishment line, reminding us who actually bleeds for a victory. Together, these sayings form a kind of rabbinic survival handbook. Each one is small, and each one is a door.