African Proverbs
1. "The wealth of the greedy ultimately goes to the community".
(If there are two brothers in a home, both must work to feed the family.")
2. "It is better to walk than curse the road ."- Wolof proverb, Senegal
3. "Loving someone that does not love you is like loving the rain that falls in the forest".
(Western African proverb)
4. "Only a medicine man gets rich by sleeping." Nairobi, Kenya
5. Only someone else can scratch your back". - Luyia proverbs, Western Kenya
6. It is the toothless animal that arives first at the base of the ruit tree, to eat his fill before others arrive. Kenya, Africa
7. "When the right hand washed the left hand and the left hand washes the right, both hands become clean."
8. "There is no elephant that complains about the weight of its trunk."
9. The leech that does not let go even when it is filled, dies on the dry land. .African proverb on greed.
10. "A Mothers Tenderness for her children is as discrete as the dew that kisses the Earth." - Nigerian Proverb
11. "The man may be the head of the home; but the wife is the heart." Kenyan Proverb
12 "You are beautiful; but learn to work, for you cannot eat your beauty." Congo Proverb
13. "Though the cheetah is fierce, it does not eat its cubs.: Ethiopian Proverb
14 "Where there is justice, all are brothers." Arab Proverb
15. Once the mushroom has sprouted from the earth, there is no turning back.-(Luo proverb)
16. If you have a lot, give some of your possessions; if you have little; give some of your heart. - Nilotic proverb -
17. "When a man thinks he is too big or great to fall, it only takes a little thing to bring him down."
18. A camel does not joke about the hump of another camel.(Guinea proverb)
19. "The habits that a child forms at home, follow them to their marriage."
20. When spiders unite, they can tie upon a lion. -Ethiopian Proverb-
21. Youths talk first and then listen, the elderly listen and then talk. - Nilotic proverb
22. "The fish that can see the water getting more shallow, cannot be stranded."
23. A feeble effort will not fulfill the self. - Dogon Proverb from Mali
24. "A family is like a forest, when you are outside it is dense, when you are inside you see that each tree has it’s place."- Ghana, Akan
25. If you are still alive, good things can still come to your way. From Yoruba Tribe, Nigeria.
26. "By being grateful, a man makes himself deserving of yet another kindness."
27. "To have no enemies is the same as having wealth."
28. "Two footsteps do not make a path." Proverb about the value of cooperation.
29. "If men are cruel to the cat, the domestic cat becomes a wild animal."
30. "If a child shoots an arrow that reaches the top of a tall palm tree, then it must be that an elderly person carved the arrow for him."
31. "You cannot kill game by looking at it."
32. "God may send a gentle breeze when He wants to bless us."
33. "How ever long the moon disappears, someday it must shine again."34. "When a ripe fruit sees an honest man, it drops."
34. "Two men are wise." (Similar to: "Two heads are better than one.")35. "When a ripe fruit sees an honest man, it drops."
36. "An ant-hill that s destined to become a giant ant-hill will ultimately become one, No matter how many times it is destroyed by elephants."
37. "If you are not able to build a house at once, you first build a shed."
38. "The owl is the wisest of all birds because the more it sees, the less it talks."
39. "A bird does not forget where it lays its eggs."
40. "It is not enough to run, one must arrive and know when one has arrived."
41. "Charity is the father of sacrifice."
42. "The bird that remembers its flock mates, never missed the way."
43. "Without retaliation evils would one day become extinct."
44. "A Farmer who doesn't work in the rain or under the sun, has nothing to harvest at the end of the farming year."
45. "When a person regrets endlessly, he gets to pay more for what he regrets."
46. "The hunter in pursuit of an elephant does not
stop to throw stones at birds." Mandinka Proverb
47. "Do a thing at its time & peace follow" Mandinka Proverb
48. A Bird is in the air but its mind in on the ground. Mandinka Meaning: Wherever you are it is important where you came from and what is important.
49. Be careful, how you reach up to pull, it might be on your head that it falls.
50. The man who has bread to eat does appreciate the severity of famine. Yoruba proverb from Nigeria
(If there are two brothers in a home, both must work to feed the family.")
2. "It is better to walk than curse the road ."- Wolof proverb, Senegal
3. "Loving someone that does not love you is like loving the rain that falls in the forest".
(Western African proverb)
4. "Only a medicine man gets rich by sleeping." Nairobi, Kenya
5. Only someone else can scratch your back". - Luyia proverbs, Western Kenya
6. It is the toothless animal that arives first at the base of the ruit tree, to eat his fill before others arrive. Kenya, Africa
7. "When the right hand washed the left hand and the left hand washes the right, both hands become clean."
8. "There is no elephant that complains about the weight of its trunk."
9. The leech that does not let go even when it is filled, dies on the dry land. .African proverb on greed.
10. "A Mothers Tenderness for her children is as discrete as the dew that kisses the Earth." - Nigerian Proverb
11. "The man may be the head of the home; but the wife is the heart." Kenyan Proverb
12 "You are beautiful; but learn to work, for you cannot eat your beauty." Congo Proverb
13. "Though the cheetah is fierce, it does not eat its cubs.: Ethiopian Proverb
14 "Where there is justice, all are brothers." Arab Proverb
15. Once the mushroom has sprouted from the earth, there is no turning back.-(Luo proverb)
16. If you have a lot, give some of your possessions; if you have little; give some of your heart. - Nilotic proverb -
17. "When a man thinks he is too big or great to fall, it only takes a little thing to bring him down."
18. A camel does not joke about the hump of another camel.(Guinea proverb)
19. "The habits that a child forms at home, follow them to their marriage."
20. When spiders unite, they can tie upon a lion. -Ethiopian Proverb-
21. Youths talk first and then listen, the elderly listen and then talk. - Nilotic proverb
22. "The fish that can see the water getting more shallow, cannot be stranded."
23. A feeble effort will not fulfill the self. - Dogon Proverb from Mali
24. "A family is like a forest, when you are outside it is dense, when you are inside you see that each tree has it’s place."- Ghana, Akan
25. If you are still alive, good things can still come to your way. From Yoruba Tribe, Nigeria.
26. "By being grateful, a man makes himself deserving of yet another kindness."
27. "To have no enemies is the same as having wealth."
28. "Two footsteps do not make a path." Proverb about the value of cooperation.
29. "If men are cruel to the cat, the domestic cat becomes a wild animal."
30. "If a child shoots an arrow that reaches the top of a tall palm tree, then it must be that an elderly person carved the arrow for him."
31. "You cannot kill game by looking at it."
32. "God may send a gentle breeze when He wants to bless us."
33. "How ever long the moon disappears, someday it must shine again."34. "When a ripe fruit sees an honest man, it drops."
34. "Two men are wise." (Similar to: "Two heads are better than one.")35. "When a ripe fruit sees an honest man, it drops."
36. "An ant-hill that s destined to become a giant ant-hill will ultimately become one, No matter how many times it is destroyed by elephants."
37. "If you are not able to build a house at once, you first build a shed."
38. "The owl is the wisest of all birds because the more it sees, the less it talks."
39. "A bird does not forget where it lays its eggs."
40. "It is not enough to run, one must arrive and know when one has arrived."
41. "Charity is the father of sacrifice."
42. "The bird that remembers its flock mates, never missed the way."
43. "Without retaliation evils would one day become extinct."
44. "A Farmer who doesn't work in the rain or under the sun, has nothing to harvest at the end of the farming year."
45. "When a person regrets endlessly, he gets to pay more for what he regrets."
46. "The hunter in pursuit of an elephant does not
stop to throw stones at birds." Mandinka Proverb
47. "Do a thing at its time & peace follow" Mandinka Proverb
48. A Bird is in the air but its mind in on the ground. Mandinka Meaning: Wherever you are it is important where you came from and what is important.
49. Be careful, how you reach up to pull, it might be on your head that it falls.
50. The man who has bread to eat does appreciate the severity of famine. Yoruba proverb from Nigeria