Proverbials!

Sayings of Cameroonian origin A cherry year, a merry year; a plum year, a dumb year. You come with a cat and call it a rabbit. A man's wealth may be superior to him. The elephant will reach to the roof of the house. It is the pot that boils but the dish that gets the credit. If everyone is going to dance, who, then, would watch? The heart of a wise man lies quiet like clear water. A building of sand falls as you build it. She is like a road -- pretty, but crooked. One father can feed seven children, but seven children cannot feed one father. The flood takes him in, and the ebb takes him out. Knowledge is better than riches. Thought is free. Beauty is an empty calabash. If the fight is tomorrow, why then clench your fist today? However little you think of the elephant, you can't say it won't fill a pot. Better a mistake at the beginning than at the end. The cricket cries, the year changes. However swift a man, he will not outstrip his sh...

Sayings of Sudanese origin Enter houses through their doors. When you live with Arabs, either do as they do or move away. Love for something makes a man blind and deaf. When Allah made Sudan, he laughed. Punish him if he lies and teach him good manners. He who taught me one letter, I became his slave. Hot water is not a playground for frogs. If telling the truth does not save you, lying will not. Not all the trees in the forest make good firewood. It is not difficult to give birth to a baby, but it is difficult to raise him. His flesh is for you and his bones are for us. When the monkey can't reach the ripe banana with his hand, he says it is not sweet. When a hen is brooding, another hen cannot sit on her eggs. If a dog bites you and you don't bite him back, it will say that you have no teeth. Beware of evil from him to whom you have done a favour. Be accustomed to hardship, for God’s endowment never lasts. If our feet leave the earth we no long...

Sayings of Burkinabe origin If you haven't been to two marketplaces, you don't know which the best value is. He who speaks does not know that the listener is smart. One hand does not pick up the flour. After beating milk, butter is obtained. Everything has an end, except the banana which has two. Every birth is the rebirth of an ancestor. The hen cannot say thank you to the mortar. A friend is better than a brother of the same mother. One can only believe the fish that says the eye of the crocodile is rotten. Patience is a golden path. An axe does not cut down a tree by itself. Even if you do not like the hare, at least recognize his speed! A child, who loves culture and breeding, is a perfect child. The hand that gives is always above the one that receives. If your father takes care of you until your teeth grow, take care of him until his fall. The wife is home. The elephant is big but the child is small. If the ants get together, they can ...

Sayings of Burundian Origin Wherever Burundi points the finger, a house is built. Don't tell any more fairy tales when the child has gone to sleep. The reception has more value than the invitation. A night without roosters will still end. A mother's wrath does not survive the night. Without effort no harvest will be abundant. A mother's behind sins when it sits down. A tree is straightened while it is still young. Too many words blacken your ears. Dogs don't love people; they love the place where they are fed. Failure to bring up correctly your child leads to being insulted by the sons-in-law. He who is not careful gets contaminated. Free things decrease one's intelligence. When others have received, you may still receive, because God is always present. From the word of an elder is derived a bone. When an enemy digs a grave for you, God gives you an emergency exit. Water aid does not remove completely the dirt. Where there is love...

Sayings of Tunisian origin He, who gives you a rope, tie him with it. He eats the fruits and insults the farmers. We praised the bride, and she was found pregnant. A house without an old man or woman is like a farm without a pit. They ate our food, and forgot our names. He ate one fig and he thought the autumn had come. Hold onto the dog’s tail until he gets you across the river. Avoiding the drop, he found himself under the gutter. They asked the mule who his father was. We will live in no house, but the one in the cemetery. The Tunisian Republic Tunisia , is the northernmost country in Africa, covering 165,000 square km (64,000 square miles),  Its northernmost point, Ras ben Sakka, is the northernmost point on the African continent. It is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia's population was estimated to be just under 11 million in 2014. Tunisia's name is derived from its capi...

Sayings of Beninese Origin Silence is an attribute of the dead; he who is alive speaks. Anyone who sees beauty and does not look at it will soon be poor. Work is the medicine for poverty. The world is a journey, the afterworld is home. A great affair covers up a small matter. Anyone who plants a tree before they die has not lived in vain. Before you ask a man for clothes, look at the clothes that he is wearing. Blacksmiths and woodworkers will never suffer from poverty. Everyone has his place: the dead in the cemetery and the living at the table. Fear a silent man. He has lips like a drum. Many words do not fill a basket. The misfortune that comes into town does not wear a turban. The tortoise is friends with the snail: those with shells keep their shells close together. The young cannot teach tradition to the old. There is no god like one's stomach; we must sacrifice to it every day. We can only speak the truth when we turn off the light. What you...

Sayings of Zulu origin The day is worked while it is still fresh. When you bite indiscriminately, you end up eating your own tail. Almost doesn't fill a bowl. When the man is away, the monkey eats his corn and goes into his hut. The horse that arrives early gets good drinking water. The lion is a beautiful animal, when seen at a distance. The most beautiful fig may contain a worm. No dew ever competed with the sun. Do not call to a dog with a whip in your hand. A nice plate is not long eaten off from. A child that does not cry dies in the sling. Death has no modesty. Copying everybody else all the time, the monkey one day cut his throat. You cannot fight an evil disease with sweet medicine. Every stream has its source. The cunning men do not deal with each other. Do not leave your host's house throwing mud in his well. Without life there is nothing. He, who hates, hates himself. Do not talk about a rhinoceros if there is no tree nearby. Even immortals are...

Proverbial Wisdom from Egypt Sayings of Egyptian origin The carpenter’s door is falling apart. If there were no fault, there would be no pardon. To know means to record in one's memory; but to understand means to blend with the thing and to assimilate it oneself. Better half a donkey than half a camel. Man, know yourself... and you shall know the gods. The eye doesn't go higher than the brow. Silence is the best answer to the stupid. No discussion can throw light if it wanders from the real point. Be patient with a bad neighbor: he may move or face misfortune. He who knows not shame does whatever he likes. The Arab Republic of Egypt  Egypt is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia, via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is the world's only contiguous Eurafrasian nation. Most of Egypt's territory of 1,010,408 square kilometres (390,000 sq mi) lies within the Nile Vall...

Sayings of Sri Lankan origin Desire never stops, it increases even after satisfaction. If the devil is your godfather you will be welcome in hell. An enemy’s punishment is his envy. Faith in medicine makes it effective. If the cow gives milk as a healthy food, why ask whether she is black or white? You cannot justify a crime by saying its very small crime. He who has studied himself is his own master. You would do better to be someone's victim rather than someone's certainty. Only the cure you believe in cures. Don’t count on the chicken before they hatch. Tell the defect to get more quantity. Sin is sin whether big or small. You can buy everything, except a father and a mother. The bird that flies from branch to branch will end up getting drenched. When the mother dies the father becomes an uncle. Our shadow will follow us. Use the small fish as bait to catch the bigger fish. Wisdom can be found travelling. For he who has the time even the...

Proverbial Wisdom from Suriname Sayings of Surinamese origin You have two ears, but you never hear words twice. You don't need to open your mouth at noon to cough in the evening. If you like ocra, you will have to like the seeds as well. If a person shave you with a razor, do not shave him with broken glass. A dog with many masters, dies of starvation. The Republic of Suriname Suriname is a sovereign state on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west and Brazil to the south. At just under 165,000 km2 (64,000 sq mi), it is the smallest country in South America. Suriname has a population of approximately 566,000, most of whom live on the country's north coast. Paramaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname , located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. The historic inner city of Paramaribo has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002. Dutch is th...

Sayings of Senegalese origin It is the specialist who knows the in's and out's. The strong don't need clubs. When a mouse makes fun of a cat, there is a hole. The truth is like gold; keep it locked up and you will find it exactly as you first put it away. The chameleon changes color to match the earth, the earth doesn't change color to match the chameleon. A rotten fish pollutes the whole kitchen. It is when the elephant dies, we get to see his teeth. The opportunity that God sends does not wake up him who is asleep. A lobster loves water, but not when he's being cooked in it. Even Buddhist priests of the same temple quarrel occasionally. Poverty is an older daughter of laziness. If a centipede loses a leg, it does not prevent him from walking. If you speak, speak to him who understands you. It is better to be loved than feared. A hat is never too big for a farmer. Three kinds of people die poor: those who divorce, those who incur deb...

Sayings of Malawian origin The body pays for a slip of the foot and gold pays for a slip of the tongue. The wrong-headed fool, who refuses counsel, will come to grief. One muddy buffalo makes the whole herd dirty. The lead cow gets whipped the most. An egg never sits on a hen. As if it weren't bad enough to fall, the ladder lands on top of you. We are born from the womb of our mother; we are buried in the womb of the earth. Go away and the conversation changes. Beating a drum is not to break it. The cradle is rocked but the baby is pinched. He can see a louse as far away as China but is not aware of an elephant on his nose. Every joy will follow in grief's footsteps. Leave her now and then if you would really love your wife. A deer tethered with a golden chain can escape to the forest to eat grass. A piece of incense may be as large as the knee, but unless burned emits no fragrance. Those who are at one regarding food are at one in life. Fear t...

Sayings of Swahili origin If the hours are long enough and the pay is short enough, someone will say it's women's work. Don't plant a seed in the sea. A single finger does not break a louse. When the cat has gone away, the mice prevail. Many cooks spoil the sauce. There are three things which if one does not know, one cannot live long in the world: what is too much for one, what is too little for one, and what is just right for one. Education has no ending. How come that the pepper which you are not eating is too hot for you? Haste does not result in prosperity. Nine is near ten. Little by little fills up the measure. If you want to eat a pig, eat a fat one. The route of a liar is short. Aiming isn't hitting. Blood is heavier than water. Abuses are the result of seeing one another too often. He who sows haphazardly, eats haphazardly. A letter from the heart can be read on the face. Where there is a will, there is a way. To a physi...

Sayings of Jamaican origin The soldiers' blood, the general's reputation. If a flea had money, it would buy its own dog. Sleep has no master. You will often see a high collar above an empty stomach. Not everything that is good to eat is good to talk about. Words in mouth, no load upon head. I came here to drink milk; I didn’t come to count cows. Fire is at a mouse’s tail, he thinks it’s cool breeze. Too much hurry, and get there tomorrow; take time, get there today. A cock’s mouth causes its death Empty pots will never boil over. A little axe can cut down a big tree. You can't take the milk back from the coffee. Every hoe has their thicket of bushes. When the affected lady is doing well she eats her peas with a pin. If you follow a fool, you're a fool yourself. Going to bed without dinner is better than waking up in debt. Behind the dog it is "dog," in front of it, it's "mister dog”. If you want to know who your f...

Sayings of Mongolian origin You will have four nights taking a short cut. You can't put two saddles on the same horse. Wise men talk about ideas, intellectuals about facts, and the ordinary man talks about what he eats. Who cleans up the dirt washes away happiness. Two bears in one cave will not end up well. Times are not always the same; the grass is not always green. There are men who walk through the woods and see no trees. The winner has many friends, the loser has good friends. The supreme treasure is knowledge, the middle treasure is children, and the lowest treasure is material wealth. The more you listen the more you give yourself room for doubt. The meat-biting tooth is in the mouth; the man-biting tooth is in the soul. The living denied a table; the dead get a whole coffin. The fish sees the bait not the hook; a man sees not the danger -- only the profit. The donkey recognizes the tracks of a horse. The distance between heaven and earth is no greater t...