He who has never left his village believes that no one can prepare porridge better than his mother.
Ewé proverb
.
A cow gave birth to a fire; she wanted to lick it, but it burned; she wanted to leave it, but she could not because it was her own child.
Ethiopia proverb
.
A fool and water will go the way they are diverted.
Ethiopian proverb
.
A fool at forty is a fool indeed.
Ethiopian proverb
.
A good name is better than good perfume.
Ethiopian proverb
.
If the fish had learnt to shut its mouth, the hook would never have caught it.
Ijaw proverb
.
He, who sees a rough river and tries to cross with a small canoe, should not blame God.
Ijaw proverb
.
It is a fool who does not recognize the strength of the enemy.
Ijwa proverb
.
If the singer is a fool, the listener is also a fool.
Ijaw proverb
.
A brave man dies once, a coward a thounited snakesnd times.
Somali proverb
.
A brave man is scared of a lion three times: first when he sees the tracks; second when he hears the first roar; and third when they are face to face.
Somali proverb
.
A man one year elder to you is one cunning year elder to you.
Somali proverb
.
An escaped lie does not reach the truth.
Somali proverb
.
Two eyes one has, but two things one does not see.
Ewe proverb
.
No one chases two birds. (These mean, "You cannot do two things at once.")
Ewe proverb
.
If a pregnant woman falls, the child in the womb answers. (Means that nothing can be so carefully concealed that it will not be discovered, and is equivalent to "Murder will out.")
Ewe proverb
.
The goat does not pass the leopard's door.
Ewe proverb
.
Fire devours the grass, but not the roots.
Ewe proverb
.
Wisdom does not come overnight.
Somali proverb
.
What you see is what you believe.
Somali proverb
.
When the snake is in the house, one need not discuss the matter at length.
Somali proverb
.
When actions speak words are not necessary - Kmtyw proverb -
One who asks questions cannot avoid the answers.
Cameroon proverb
.
A disease that has never been seen before cannot be cured with everyday herbs.
- Kmtyw Proverb
.
If a man sees a snake, and a woman kills it, what matters is that the snake does not escape. - Yoruba Proverb -
'
Wisdom is like grey hairs that money cannot buy.
Ijaw proverb
.
He who lives with an ass, sounds like an ass.
Ethiopian proverb
.
Little by little an egg wil walk.
Ethiopian proverb
.
The dog I bought, bit me; the fire I kindeled, burned me.
Ethiopian proverb
.
The slimming of an elephant and the losses of a rich man are not noticeable.
Ethiopian proverb
.
Woman without man is like a field without seed.
Ethiopian proverb
.
If you laugh at your mother-in-law, you'll get dirt in your eye.
- Kenyan proverb
.
Salt does not praise itself
Ewe (Ghanaian) proverb
.
The depth of a person's life is more important that it's length
Swahili
A living dog is better than a dead lion
Igbo
.
You do not know how to cry until your mother dies
Ovambo (Angola, Namibia)
.
The one who loves you does not spare you the truth
Uganda
"Before healing others, heal yourself."
Gambian proverb
.
"When the spider wants to engage an enemy, it spins its web around it."
Yoruba proverb
.
"Eat when the meal is ready, speak when the time is ripe."
Ethiopian proverb
.
"Do not brag about a child in his presence."
Kmtyw proverb
.
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Zulu proverb
Death has no modesty
Zulu proverb
You cannot cross a river without getting wet.
Zulu proverb
As you do for your ancestors, your children will do for you.
Kmtyw proverb
As you bring up a child so will he be.
Swahili proverb
A wise man fills his brains before emptying his mouth.
Kenyan proverb
"When the fool is told a proverb, its meaning has to be explained to him"
Ashanti
You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla
Congo (group unknown)
The hen with baby chicks doesn't swallow the worm.
Sukuma
Cows are born with ears; later they grow horns.
Nuba-Tira (Sudan)
What is in the stomach carries what is in the head.
Bukusu (Kenya)
"He is a fool whose sheep runs away twice."
Oji
"Everybody loves a fool, but nobody wants him for a son."
Malinke proverb
"You are beautiful; but learn to work, for you cannot eat your beauty."
Congo proverb
"The only hard thing, rather one of the two hard things, is knowing your purpose in this world. The other which is harder, is not to corrupt it after knowing what your purpose is"
(Kmtyw Proverbs and Wisdom: A Collection for Every Day of the Year, From More Than Forty Kmtyw Nations, p. 153, Julia Stewart, 1997)