African Proverbs
“You learn a lot about a man by his behaviour when hungry”A Zambian proverb sent by Jonas Mumba in Nanchang, China
“The hyena does not eat its baby, and you know how insatiable it is”A Kikuyu proverb sent by Jesuis John in Kenya
“Things that you don't know are like a dark night”A Swahili proverb sent by Eshe, Birmingham, UK
“It's only when a lion is sick that the antelope visits him to reclaim an old debt”An Igbo proverb sent by David Heart in Orlu, Imo state, Nigeria
“If a dog bites you and you don't bite him back, it will say you have no teeth”A Sudanese proverb sent by Tut John Nyuon in Wollo, Ethiopia
“When you see a frog climb a fence, you know that the ground is hot”A Krio proverb from Sierra Leone sent by Sigismond Wilson in Oklahoma, the US
“A goat eats where it is tied”Sent by Alpha Amadou Bah, Conakry, Guinea
“A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness”An Igbo proverb sent by Vitus Uche Ngwumoha in Awo-omamma, Imo state, Nigeria
“When killing a monkey do not stare into its face”A Chewa proverb sent by James J Awali in Blantyre, Malawi,and Suzgo Lungu in London, the UK
“A poor man shames us all”A Gabbra/Borana proverb from northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia sent by Saied Usman Abdi in Winnipeg, Canada
“If you throw ashes, ashes will follow you”A Krio proverb from Sierra Leone sent by Harold Wilson, Maryland, US
“A man with a cough can never conceal himself”A Yoruba proverb sent by Consolata in Lagos, Nigeria
“Kindness killed the partridge”A Chewa proverb sent by Missy Mercy-Elsie Kazembe, Malawi
“The person who has an axe does not lack firewood”A Swahili proverb sent by William Jol Bak, Wau, South Sudan
“A goat that dies in a barn was not killed by hunger”An Igbo proverb sent by Chukwuemeka Ekere, Nigeria
“It is easy to be brave in a crowd ”A Luhya proverb sent by John Manyalla, Kisumu, Kenya
“Even the crazy can make some sense”Sent by Bethany Mzungu Moses, Lilongwe, Malawi
“Staying near the anthill made the hartebeest brown”An Acholi proverb sent by Belkos Palenga in Gulu, Uganda
“There is always a winner, even in a monkey's beauty contest”Sent by Martin Manyiel Wugol, Juba, South Sudan
“No matter how sharp a knife is, it cannot cut its own handle”A Yoruba proverb sent by Yusufu Ameh, Lagos, Nigeria
“He who does not admit defeat is not a sportsman”A Swahili proverb sent by Abdulreheman Dada, Luton, UK
“It is the one whose leg you cured who kicks you with it”A Luganda proverb sent by Frank Morris Matovu and Kawooya Aloysius, both in Kampala, Uganda
“When a madman walks naked it is his kinsmen who feel ashamed”Sent by Gerishon Wambui in Nigeria and Yennu Samuel Nantiib in Ghana
“The cow that has stepped on the mud is assumed to have drunk water”A Kalanaga proverb sent by Eke Shakwe in Tutume, Botswana
“No matter how tall the Iroko tree grows, it never touches the sky”Sent by Micheal Iroko, Lagos, Nigeria, and Sadiq Ali, Accra, Ghana
“You cannot climb a tree from the top ”Sent by Mary, San Diego, California, US
“Judge not your beauty by the number of people who look at you, but rather by the number of people who smile at you”Sent by Nuriye Gezginci, Neukölln, Berlin, Germany
“If you do not agree with the phases of the moon, get a ladder and repair it”A Hausa proverb sent by Jamil Habib, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
“If a lizard decides to wear trousers, it should know where to put the tail”A Soga proverb sent by Jivram Orsbourne Rosenburg, Uganda
“A dog with a bone in its mouth cannot bite”Sent by Williams Mawogole, Jinja, Uganda
“Do not abuse midwives while children are still being born”A Swahili proverb sent by William Jol Bak Bak, Wau, South Sudan
“The shea butter laughs at the salt when it rains, forgetting that the sun will soon shine”Sent by Emmanuel Fiamordzi, Accra, Ghana
“A cowardly hyena lives longer but it suffers the most”Sent by Mario Tombe Lino Germiah in Juba, South Sudan
“A monkey doesn’t laugh at a burning bush”Sent by Adam Zziwa Mbiringi and Ainomujuni Norman, both in Uganda
“One can only go round a pepper tree, but can never climb it”An Igbo proverb sent by Emeka Obia and Ndudi Ateli, both from Nigeria, and Matamba, from Dakar, Senegal
“The rough skin of a crocodile is what makes it beautiful”A Swahili proverb sent by Tosh Kasamba, Kenya
“The axe forgets, the tree does not forget”A Swahili proverb sent by Israel Makaza, Zimbabwe
“The basket goes where it will be returned”A Kinyarwanda proverb sent by Shyaka Ahmad Fababby, Kigali, Rwanda
“No matter how hot your anger is, it cannot cook yam”Sent by Joyce Adhiambo in Nairobi, Kenya
“A dog destined to be lost does not hear the hunter's whistle”A Yoruba proverb sent by Akande James, Ibadan, Nigeria
“Big melons fall upon those who have no pot”An Ndebele proverb from Zimbabwe sent by Thoman Sikowelo, Johannesburg, South Africa
“Rats don't dance in the cat's doorway”Sent by J Hendrix Fahnbulleh, Monrovia, Liberia
“A person who walks wisely can travel a long distance”An Oromo proverb sent by Zerihun Tesfaye, Woliso, Ethiopia
“If the owner of the goat is not afraid to travel by night, the owner of a hyena certainly will not be”A Hausa proverb sent by Salisu Ibrahim Mukhtar in Kano, Nigeria
“A dog that belongs to everyone will die of hunger”Sent by Ibrahim Aboma, France
“Ash laughs at flour”An Amharic proverb sent by Mekdes Gezahegn, Ethiopia
“A fierce buffalo has its hide made into a shield”A Luo proverb sent by Owino Onyango Mak'Oburu in Kenya
“If you try to straighten a sweet potato, it breaks”A Bemba proverb sent by James Chiwala, Ndola, Zambia
“It is the head that disturbs the wasp that the wasp stings”
An Igbo proverb sent by Emeka Eze in Aba, Nigeria
“No matter how long they live, donkeys are meals for hyenas”
An Oromo proverb sent by Salah Ahmed in Minneapolis, US
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