“A wise man who knows proverbs, reconciles difficulties.”
“Rain beats a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the spots.”
“One falsehood spoils a thousand truths.”
“Do not call the forest that shelters you a jungle.”
“The moon moves slowly, but it crosses the town.”
“The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.”
“When the cock is drunk, he forgets about the hawk.”
”There is no medicine to cure hatred.”
“When a king has good counselors, his reign is peaceful.”
“By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed.”
“It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man.”
“Money is sharper than a sword.”
“When you are rich, you are hated; when you are poor, you are despised.”
“It is Mr. Old-Man-Monkey who marries Mrs. Old-Woman-Monkey.”
“No one tests the depth of a river with both feet.”
“Two men in a burning house must not stop to argue.”
“He who is guilty is the one that has much to say.”
“He is a fool whose sheep runs away twice.”
“If you understand the beginning well, the end will not trouble you.”
“To engage in conflict, one does not bring a knife that cuts -but a needle that sews.”
Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.
Sickness accompanies a waning moon; a new moon cures disease.
When the moon is not full, the stars shine more brightly.
A strawberry blossom will not sweeten dry bread.
Water always finds a way out.
Do not step on the dog's tail, and he will not bite you.
He who asks questions, cannot avoid the answers.
The heart of the wise man lies quiet like limpid water.
Proverbs are the daughters of experience.
If you're not living on the edge... you're taking up too much room.
Knowledge is not the main thing, but deeds.
The miserly man is like a fattened ox: he will give of his fat only when he has been deprived of his life.
He who runs after good fortune runs away from peace.
The heart of man and the bottom of the sea are unfathomable.
Men fall only in order to rise.
God conceals himself from the mind of man, but reveals himself to his heart.
Call kinship with the hyena, and all hyenas are your friend.
Oh hyena, don't give me excuse to eat me.
Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.
As the dog said, 'If I fall down for you and you fall down for me, it is playing.'
The axe forgets; the tree remembers.
When the mouse laughs at the cat there's a hole nearby.
The teeth are smiling, but is the heart?
Riddle Proverbs of SouthWest Africa
The thorn of an Omugowle tree pierced the foot of an elephant;
A mushroom pierced the back of a termite hill.
Big-nose has not blown his nose;
Big feet has not softened the road.
A long millet brought birds to the fields:
A long entranceway brought war (quarrels) to the house.
Two birds on one reed;
Two paths to the watering hole.
A termite nest is the pole (shoe) of the earth;
Clouds are the pillars of the sky.
This and that palm tree, from which one will you tear a leaf;
Here and there a road, which one will you take?
The reed I have not eaten is that of tobacco;
The road I have not walked is that of the sky.
Though you sweep the hut in a sand flat, the sand will not disappear;
No matter how much you mourn your dead mother she will not return.
A little bird does not fly into the arrow;
A woman's sex organ does not come to a man's penis.
There is not one piece of a pot that was not a pot before;
Even old was once young.
He who tells the truth is never wrong. ~Swahili Proverb from East Africa
Bottom of Form
A man with sweet food before him can not understand the bitterness of famine.
Even if the youth has as many clothes as his father, he has not worn so many out.
However far a stream flows, it never forgets its origin.
No God is more demanding than your stomach – it requires a sacrifice every day.
One who defames another's character, also defames their own.
The man who waits for a perfect opportunity, will wait a life-time.
The world has reached a sad state when a cracking an egg breaks the pot.
Victory is achieved by he who forgives.
What makes sense today may be madness tomorrow.
Where you settle in old age depends upon where you stood in your youth.
You may tell little lies, small as a thorn, but they will grow to the size of a spear and kill you.
You will know who you love, you can not truly know who loves you.
Add legs to the snake after you have finished drawing it.
After three days without reading, talk becomes flavorless.
An ant may well destroy a whole dam.
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
Behind an able man there are always other able men.
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one.
Better do a good deed near at home than go far away to burn incense.
Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.
A book holds a house of gold.
Butcher the donkey after it finished his job on the mill.
A camel standing amidst a flock of sheep.
Clear conscience never fears midnight knocking.
A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood
A crane standing amidst a flock of chickens.
Crows everywhere are equally black.
A dish of carrot hastily cooked may still has soil uncleaned off the vegetable.
Dismantle the bridge shortly after crossing it.
Distant water won't help to put out a fire close at hand.
Distant water won't quench your immediate thirst.
Do not employ handsome servants.
Do not want others to know what you have done? Better not have done it anyways.
Donkey's lips do not fit onto a horse's mouth.
A dog won't forsake his master because of his poverty; a son never deserts his mother for her homely appearance.
Dream different dreams while on the same bed.
“Rain beats a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the spots.”
“One falsehood spoils a thousand truths.”
“Do not call the forest that shelters you a jungle.”
“The moon moves slowly, but it crosses the town.”
“The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.”
“When the cock is drunk, he forgets about the hawk.”
”There is no medicine to cure hatred.”
“When a king has good counselors, his reign is peaceful.”
“By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed.”
“It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man.”
“Money is sharper than a sword.”
“When you are rich, you are hated; when you are poor, you are despised.”
“It is Mr. Old-Man-Monkey who marries Mrs. Old-Woman-Monkey.”
“No one tests the depth of a river with both feet.”
“Two men in a burning house must not stop to argue.”
“He who is guilty is the one that has much to say.”
“He is a fool whose sheep runs away twice.”
“If you understand the beginning well, the end will not trouble you.”
“To engage in conflict, one does not bring a knife that cuts -but a needle that sews.”
Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.
Sickness accompanies a waning moon; a new moon cures disease.
When the moon is not full, the stars shine more brightly.
A strawberry blossom will not sweeten dry bread.
Water always finds a way out.
Do not step on the dog's tail, and he will not bite you.
He who asks questions, cannot avoid the answers.
The heart of the wise man lies quiet like limpid water.
Proverbs are the daughters of experience.
If you're not living on the edge... you're taking up too much room.
Knowledge is not the main thing, but deeds.
The miserly man is like a fattened ox: he will give of his fat only when he has been deprived of his life.
He who runs after good fortune runs away from peace.
The heart of man and the bottom of the sea are unfathomable.
Men fall only in order to rise.
God conceals himself from the mind of man, but reveals himself to his heart.
Call kinship with the hyena, and all hyenas are your friend.
Oh hyena, don't give me excuse to eat me.
Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.
As the dog said, 'If I fall down for you and you fall down for me, it is playing.'
The axe forgets; the tree remembers.
When the mouse laughs at the cat there's a hole nearby.
The teeth are smiling, but is the heart?
Riddle Proverbs of SouthWest Africa
The thorn of an Omugowle tree pierced the foot of an elephant;
A mushroom pierced the back of a termite hill.
Big-nose has not blown his nose;
Big feet has not softened the road.
A long millet brought birds to the fields:
A long entranceway brought war (quarrels) to the house.
Two birds on one reed;
Two paths to the watering hole.
A termite nest is the pole (shoe) of the earth;
Clouds are the pillars of the sky.
This and that palm tree, from which one will you tear a leaf;
Here and there a road, which one will you take?
The reed I have not eaten is that of tobacco;
The road I have not walked is that of the sky.
Though you sweep the hut in a sand flat, the sand will not disappear;
No matter how much you mourn your dead mother she will not return.
A little bird does not fly into the arrow;
A woman's sex organ does not come to a man's penis.
There is not one piece of a pot that was not a pot before;
Even old was once young.
He who tells the truth is never wrong. ~Swahili Proverb from East Africa
Bottom of Form
A man with sweet food before him can not understand the bitterness of famine.
Even if the youth has as many clothes as his father, he has not worn so many out.
However far a stream flows, it never forgets its origin.
No God is more demanding than your stomach – it requires a sacrifice every day.
One who defames another's character, also defames their own.
The man who waits for a perfect opportunity, will wait a life-time.
The world has reached a sad state when a cracking an egg breaks the pot.
Victory is achieved by he who forgives.
What makes sense today may be madness tomorrow.
Where you settle in old age depends upon where you stood in your youth.
You may tell little lies, small as a thorn, but they will grow to the size of a spear and kill you.
You will know who you love, you can not truly know who loves you.
Add legs to the snake after you have finished drawing it.
After three days without reading, talk becomes flavorless.
An ant may well destroy a whole dam.
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
Behind an able man there are always other able men.
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one.
Better do a good deed near at home than go far away to burn incense.
Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.
A book holds a house of gold.
Butcher the donkey after it finished his job on the mill.
A camel standing amidst a flock of sheep.
Clear conscience never fears midnight knocking.
A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood
A crane standing amidst a flock of chickens.
Crows everywhere are equally black.
A dish of carrot hastily cooked may still has soil uncleaned off the vegetable.
Dismantle the bridge shortly after crossing it.
Distant water won't help to put out a fire close at hand.
Distant water won't quench your immediate thirst.
Do not employ handsome servants.
Do not want others to know what you have done? Better not have done it anyways.
Donkey's lips do not fit onto a horse's mouth.
A dog won't forsake his master because of his poverty; a son never deserts his mother for her homely appearance.
Dream different dreams while on the same bed.
