Il faut qu’une porte soit ouverte ou fermée. ………… A door has to be either open or closed. — La puerta tiene que estar o abierta o cerrada.

It means  you cannot have an intermediate situation: there is no third way.

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L’eau va à la rivière. ………… Water goes to the river. — El agua va al río.

Fatalistic. It says that people and things follow their own law and cannot be controlled..

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On ne peut pas avoir le lard et le cochon. ………… You can’t have the bacon and the pig. — No puedes tener el tocino y el cerdo.

Trying to sell a bike and lecturing on the price. The drawing is by Gary Olsen, one of many at dubuque.k12.ia.us/cartoons/.

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Il n’y a pas de plume tombée sans oiseau plumé. ………… If a feather falls, a bird has been plucked. — No hay pluma caída sin pájaro desplumado.

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Les cordonniers sont toujours les plus mal chaussés. ………… Shoemakers always wear worn shoes. — Los zapateros siempre llevan los zapatos gastados.

This could mean they don’t do what they preach  — or they would not buy for themselves what they sell to others..

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Un sou est un sou. ………… A dime is a dime. — Un duro es un duro.

Even a small coin is money and should not be despised.. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A merles soûl, cerises amères. ………… Let the fat blackbird have the bitter cherries. — Al merlo gordo las cerezas amargas.

Sounds like envy.  Maybe it is similar to “the jar goes to the fountain until it breaks” meaning that after a series of lucky deals there will be a failure..

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On ne connaît pas le vin à l’étiquette. ………… You can’t tell a wine by the label. — No se conoce el vino por la etiqueta.

It might not be WYSIWYG — the ad may be misleading.

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Chien qui aboie ne mord pas. ………… A dog that barks does not bite. — El perro que ladra no muerde.

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Quand les hirondelles voient la Saint-Michel, l’hiver ne vient qu’à Noël. ………… If the swallow s see Saint Michael’s day, winter won’t come until Christmas.

Saint Michael is on September 29, and swallows normally leave most of the regions of France earlier. — Cuando las golondrinas ven la fiesta de San Miguel, el invierno no comienza hasta Navidad.

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Il n’est de si petit chat qui n’égratigne. ………… Even the tiniest little cat will scratch. — Por muy pequeño que sea el gatito, es que  araña.

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Mieux vaut tard que jamais. ………… Better late than never. — Más vale tarde que nunca.

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On ne fait pas d’omelettes sans casser d’oeufs. ………… You can’t make an omelette without breaking an egg. — No se puede hacer una tortilla sin romper un huevo.

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À la guerre comme à la guerre. ………… In war as in war. — En  guerra como en guerra.

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