In keeping with the recent trend towards studying cognitive products from a social perspective, this study examined the imagery values of 203 proverbs as a function of their source and form. The sources of some proverbs can be identified, while others are anonymous: the latter are higher in imagery. Negative proverbs warn against widely held beliefs, and these are higher in imagery than their affirmative counterparts. It is suggested that these findings may reflect the social origins of anonymous negative proverbs.