"adage by" is a correct phrase and can be used in written English.
It is typically used to introduce an adage or proverb and give credit to the original source. Example: "As the adage by Confucius goes, 'Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.'".
For social sharks, this involves pushing for the 'safety in numbers' adage, by forming conspicuous groups with other well-connected individuals.
Most of us are familiar with the adage by George Santayana, who, in his biography said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".
I'm sure you've heard the adage by now: "Pay for it now, or pay for it later".
Remember the old adage "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail".
There is an old adage "Inch by inch life is a cinch, yard by yard, life is hard".
Stability breeding consistency doesn't seem to be an adage favored by La Liga clubs, although the facts should perhaps be given more thought by trigger-happy presidents.
An adage repeated by collectors is that they are only stealing a bird's time.
An adage favored by cops is: "Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear".
But taking out human frailty may be beyond even the lawyers — hence the adage cited by Professor Minan: For right-handers, a ball that strays to the left is a hook, to the right it's a slice.
There is an Alpine adage, recounted by Colin Fraser in his book Avalanches and Snow Safety, that runs like this: "What flies without wings, strikes without hand and sees without eyes?
As far as alcohol and food go, there's also the old adage, recounted by everybody from Kingsley Amis to Keith Floyd, that you should only ever use a bottle in the kitchen you wouldn't be afraid to use at the table.
