Tribal Proverbs - Archive

 

The death of an elderly man is like a burning library. (Ivorian Proverb)
 

Throw a lucky man into the sea, and he will come up with a fish in his mouth.  (Arabian Proverb)

 
Do not insult the hunting guide before the sun has set.  (Sukuma, Tanzania Proverb)
 
Write kindness in marble. Write injuries in the sand.  (Persian Proverb)
 
He who has bread has many problems; He who has no bread has only one problem.
(Byzantine Proverb)
 

 God's rain falls even on the witch, but eventually she will be destroyed.      (Fipa Tribe, Tanzania)

 
He who tells the truth is never wrong.  (Swahili Proverb)
 The rain maker who doesn't know what he is doing will be found out by the lack of clouds. (Lugunda Proverb, Uganda)
A friend is like a water source for a long journey (Nilotic Proverb)
An undecided man is the worst disaster of the village. (Nilotic Proverb)
Hunger pushes the hippopotamus out of the water.  (Luo Proverb)
Flies' legs, like the tongue of critics, land on whatever they find.         (Duala Proverb)
 An empty sack cannot stand.  (Mandingue Proverb)
 It is easier to transport an ant hill than it is to exercise authority in a village.   (Mongo Proverb)
When a lion roars, he does not catch game. (Acholi Proverb)
If you have a lot, give some of your possessions; if you have little, give some of your heart (Nilotic Proverb)
The mouth of an elderly man is without teeth, but never without words of wisdom. (Duala Proverb)
Working in the fields is hard, but hunger is harder. (Nilotic Proverb)

The mouth makes debts, but the hands must pay. (Ewe Proverb)

In the desert of life, the wise travel by caravan, while the fool travels alone.        (Arab Proverb)
The burden of your friend is like a basket of feathers. (Sukuma Tribe, Tanzania)
What the heart carries would be too heavy for a donkey to take down the road.  (Oromo Tribe, Ethiopia)
Water that has been begged for does not quench the thirst. Uganda Proverb
You think of water when the well is empty.  (Ethiopian Proverb)
A person who is not disciplined cannot be cautioned.  (Haya Tribe, Tanzania)
One should not beg without a basket.  (Duala Tribe)
To be happy in one's home is better than being a chief.  (Yoruba Tribe, Nigeria)
Do not insult the hunting guide before the sun has set. (Sukuma Tribe, Tanzania))

Only when you have crossed the river, can you say the crocodile has a lump on his snout!  (Ashanti Tribe, Ghana)

One falsehood spoils a thousand truths   (Ashanti Tribe, Ghana)
When you are rich, you are hated; when you are poor, you are despised. (Ashanti Tribe, Ghana)
Until the snake is dead, do not drop the stick (Ivorian Proverb)

There is no medicine to cure hatred.  (Ashanti Tribe, Kenya)

"What you see being done is better than what you hear being said."   (Toucouleur Tribe, Senegal)
A lie can annihilate a thousand truths.  (Ashanti Proverb)
He who listens to the voice of the elderly is like a strong tree;
He who turns a deaf ear is like a twig in the wind.  (Nilotic Proverb)