An aside. When I was growing up in semi rural Nottinghamshire we used to say of heavy rain that it was siling down. When I became a rock climber I learnt to abseil to descend by the rope (rappel in french) I was thus siling down or descending by the cord. Ain't language fascinating.
Round here they say,' il pleut comme une vache qui pisse!' my husband has just commented that it's a bit rough though:-) Maybe I've been mixing with the wrong sorts.
How about these?
A chemin battu il ne croît point d'herbe. Grass doesn't grow on a busy street.
Au besoin on connaï l'ami. When need comes one knows one's friend (A friend in need is a friend indeed).
Besoin fait la vielle trotter (et l'endormi réveiller). Need makes the hurdy-gurdy trot (and the deadened awake)
Ce n'est pas tout de courir bien, il faut partir a temps. It's not enough to run well, unless you set out in due time. (Find that one ironic give French 'punctuality'!)
Dans les petites boïtes, les bons onguents. In the small boxes, the best ointments.
Entre bride et l'éperon, de toute choses gït la raison. Reason lies between the bridle and the spur.
Folle et simple est la brebis qui au loup se confesse. The ewe that makes the wolf her confessor is mad or simple.
A jeune chasseur, il faut vieux chien. With a young hunter, one needs an old dog.
I try to avoid using them because they are never in the right context when I do, but the rural folk here hold more or less complete conversations using little else.