Mauritanian Proverbs

Sayings of Mauritanian origin

A stone from the hand of a friend is an apple.

Open your mouth before you eat.

One must talk little, and listen a lot.

He who has no spoon will burn his hands.

A donkey which goes to grow horns returns with its ears cut off.

Not all the flowers of a tree produce fruit.

It is only the water that is spilled; the bowl is not broken!

A cutting word is worse than a bowstring; a cut may heal but the cut of the tongue does not.

He who loves money must labor.

To manage yourself, use your head; to manage others, use your heart.

Too large a morsel chokes the child.

If you watch your pot, your food will not burn.

Two eyes see better than one.

The sheep that wants to grow a long horn must have a strong skull.

Not all the tree's blossoms will bear fruit.

He whose clothes are too fine, shall go about in rags.

Before eating, open your mouth.

Before one cooks, one must have the meat.

He who begins a conversation does not foresee the end.

The bigger the head, the bigger the headaches.

The tail does not lead the head.

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania

Mauritania , is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwestern Africa.It is the eleventh largest country in Africa and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara in the north, Algeria in the northeast, Mali in the east and southeast, and Senegal in the southwest.(Source)

Nouakchott is the capital and largest city of Mauritania. It is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. The city also serves as the administrative and economic centre of Mauritania.

The predominant spoken languages in Mauritania are Hassaniya Arabic, Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof and French . Modern Standard Arabic is the official language.



"The state hymn of Mauritania" is the title of The National Anthem of Mauritania. Lyrics:
Be a helper for God, and censure what is forbidden,
And turn with the law which, which He wants you to follow,
Hold no one to be useful or harmful, except for Him,
And walk the path of the chosen one, and die while you are on it!
For what was sufficient for the first of us, is sufficient for the last one, too.
And leave those people who do evil things with respect to God.
They misrepresented him by making him similar, and made all kinds of excuses.
They made bold claims, and blackened notebooks.
They let the nomads and the sedentary people, both make bitter experiences,
And the great sins of their [doctrinal] innovations bequeathed small.
And just in case a disputant, calls you to dispute about their claims,
Do not, then, dispute on them, except by way of an external dis