Yoruba Proverb Treasury-gctid23042

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í kó[ch61481] àgbàlagbà pé bó bá rún kó rún.

One does not teach an elder that what has been crushed should remain crushed.
(An elder should know when a matter should end.)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í k[ch7885] [ch7865]lé[ch61481][ch7779]in ká tún l[ch7885] fé[ch61481] [ch7865]lé[ch61481]sè[ch61481].

One does not divorce a horse rider and go marry a pedestrian.
(One should ever progress, never regress.)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í lé èkúté ilé [ch7865]ni ká f[ch7885]wó[ch61481] [ch7779]é[ch61481][ch803]

One does not chase the mouse in one's house and break one's hand.
(One should be safe from hazards in one's own home.)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í mó[ch61481] egbò fúnra [ch7865]ni ká sunkún.

One does not treat one's own sore and yet cry from the pain.
(One should know one's own pain threshold.)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í m[ch7885] ìyá Òjó ju Òjó l[ch7885].

One does not presume to know Òjó's mother better than Òjó himself does.
(Never claim to know a thing better than the people closest to it.)
Compare A kì í m[ch7885] ò[ch61481]nà [ch7885]gbà ju [ch7885]ló[ch61481]gbà l[ch7885] . . .

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í m[ch7885] ò[ch61481]nà [ch7885]gbà ju [ch7885]ló[ch61481]gbà l[ch7885]; [ch7865]ní múni wá là [ch324] tè[ch61481]lé.

One does not presume to know the way to or around a garden better than the owner of the garden; one always follows the person who brought one.
(Never presume to have a better knowledge of a matter than has the person most intimately involved.)
Compare A kì í m[ch7885] ìyá Òjó ju Òjó l[ch7885].

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í mò[ch61481]-ó[ch61481] rò bí [ch7865]lé[ch61481]jó[ch61481].

One never knows how to present it like the owner of the case.
(No one can know better than the person itself where it hurts most and what relief is needed.)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í mú oko ló[ch61481]nà ká [ch7779]èmé[ch61481]lé[ch61481]; tajá t[ch7865]ran níí [ch324] búni.

One does not farm a plot by the road and neglect its care; every dog and goat would ridicule one.
(Never expose yourself to insult by behaving badly in public view.)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í ní agbára kékeré [ch7779]e èkejì.

One does not offer to second a combatant in spite of one's negligible strength.
(Never attempt more than you have the power to accomplish.)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í ní ò[ch61481]kánjúwà ká mò[ch61481]; ará ilé [ch7865]ni níí [ch324] s[ch7885] fún 'ni.

One does not know that one has covetousness; it is one's kin who so inform one.
(Often, only those close to one can recognize one's flaws and alert one to them.)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í pe ìyàwó kó kan alárinà.

One does not summon the wife and then involve the go-between.
(People should mind their own business.)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í peni lák[ch7885] [ch7865]ran ká [ch7779]orí bòró.

One does not enjoy the designation "He Goat" and yet sport a smooth (horn-less) head.
(A person should live up to his/her billing.)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í pè[ch61481]lú ò[ch61481]b[ch7885] jáko.

One does not join a monkey in roaming the bush.
(Do not join others in their madness.)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í [ch7779]íwájú [ch7865]lé[ch61481]è[ch61481]é[ch61481]dé[ch61481].

One does not conclude for the person who says "è[ch61481]é[ch61481]dé[ch61481]*.. . ."
(Never presume to know what someone else intends to say.)

*In Yorùbá numeration "è[ch61481]é[ch61481]dé[ch61481][ch803] . . ." indicates a certain amount (or figure) "less than ..."; "è[ch61481]é[ch61481]dógún," for instance, is fifteen (five less than twenty), while "è[ch61481]é[ch61481]dé[ch61481][ch803]gbè[ch61481]rin" is seven hundred (one hundred less than eight hundred.).

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

A kì í yàgò fún "Mo gun [ch7865][ch7779]in rí o!"

One does not get out of the way for "I used to ride a horse!"
(People should not expect to live on past glory.)