Proverbs are pithy sayings coined by people who would like to be philosophers but
couldn't manage the necessary sincerity. They include:

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

"People with glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

"A rolling stone keeps the doctor away."

Proverbs tend to be trotted out by your mother when you've done something you shouldn't have done.
The best way to counter them is to either say "What rot!" or to come up with an impenetrable, witty and slightly silly saying of your own,
such as "they laughed at Einstein too, you know", "a tree in the ground is worth £300 wholesale down the timberyard" or
"people with glass houses should expect to fry in the summer."