African proverbs

A person who carries responsibility also receives blame ~Kenyan Prover

All heads are the same, but not all thoughts are the same. ~Ghanaian Proverb

If you have to drag a dog to the hunt, neither he nor his hunting is any good. ~Egyptian Proverb

By trying repeatedly, the monkey learns how to jump from the tree. ~Cameroonian Proverb

A leader in the community without a pot belly is a stingy man. ~Nigerian Proverb

A woman who pursues a man for sex loses her spiritual beauty. ~African Proverb

An accomplishment of purpose is better than making a profit. ~Nigerian Proverb

The bitter heart eats its owner. ~Bantu Proverb

Two men quarreling do not share the same seat on a canoe. ~Nigerian Proverb

A hunter who has only one arrow does not shoot with careless aim. ~Nigerian Proverb

A patient that can swallow food makes the nurse doubtful. ~Malagasy Proverb

No matter how fast a man is, he cannot outrun his shadow. ~Cameroonian Proverb

The weak warrior wearing sandals overcomes the brave with a thorn in his foot. ~Nigerian Proverb

Do not make the dress before the child is born. ~Tanzanian Proverb

Words are sweet but they can never replace food. ~Nigerian Proverb

Good health does not spread, disease does. ~South African Proverb

Two waterfalls do not hear each other. ~Kikuyu Proverb

Do not stop children having fun otherwise they will also stop your serious work. ~Gambian Proverb

It is a nasty bird that messes in its own nest. ~African Proverb

What bites you is in your clothes. ~Kenyan Proverb

The sun tames the goat. ~Ugandan Proverb

Examine what is said, not him who speaks. ~Egyptian Proverb

Seek peacefully, you will find. ~Egyptian Proverb

The day cuts off the promise of the night. ~Egyptian Proverb

It is not the cook's fault when the cassava turns out to be hard and tasteless. ~Ewe Proverb

One finger cannot remove lice from the head. ~Nigerian Proverb

When the fool is told a proverb, its meaning has to be explained to him. ~Ashanti Proverb

What one won't eat by itself, one will eat when mixed with other food. ~Bantu Prover

Thunder is not yet rain. ~Kenyan Proverb

The well gives, but the bucket refuses. ~Nigerian Proverb

A person who is not disciplined cannot be cautioned. ~Haya Proverb

Stroke your dog and he will steal eggs. ~Bantu Proverb

Two footsteps do not make a path. ~Nigerian Proverb

Before one replies, on must be present. ~Gambian Proverb

What gives the child the itch has already given him the fingernails for scratching it. ~Igbo Proverb

The possessor may become dispossessed. ~Kenyan Proverb

The best way to keep a secret is not to tell it to anyone. ~Swahili Proverb

Even in the monastery there is occasion for song and merriment. ~Ethiopian Proverb

A cockroach knows how to sing and dance, but it is the hen who prevents it from performing its art during the day. ~Edo People of Nigeria

When one is in trouble, one remembers God. ~Nigerian Proverb

Teamwork without coordination brings confusion. ~Zambian Proverb

The voice of a strong person is obeyed immediately. ~Ethiopian Proverb

He who digs a pit for others must invariably fall into it. ~Nigerian Proverb

Always being in a hurry does not prevent death, neither does going slowly prevent living. ~Igbo Proverb

Popular beliefs on essential matters must be examined in order to discover the original thought. ~Egyptian Proverb

The motherless child will suckle the grandmother. ~Bambara Proverb

Water is colourless and tasteless but you can live on it longer than eating food. ~African Proverb

Chattering doesn't cook rice. ~Nigerien Proverb

The bottom of wealth is sometimes a dirty thing to behold. ~Nigerian Proverb

Quarrels end, but words once spoken never die. ~Sierra Leone

Oh you getting in between the onion and its peel, you want get anything other than its bad smell. ~Egyptian Proverb

A poor man with his child a rich man with his wealth. ~Swahili Proverb

When a woman is hungry, she says, roast something for the children that they may eat. ~Ghanaian Proverb

If there had been no poverty in Europe, then the white man would not have come and spread his clothes in Africa. ~Ghanaian Proverb

Eat when the food is ready; speak when the time is right. ~Ethiopian Proverb

People bring about their own undoing through their tongues. ~Egyptian Proverb

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. ~Haida Proverb

Dead though the oil-palm may be, the maggot in it lives on. ~Nigerian Proverb

Everybody joins to blame or condemn a child who overthrows the pot of soup. ~Nigerian Proverb

Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together. ~Ashanti Proverb

The surface of the water is beautiful, but it is no good to sleep on. ~Ghanaian Proverb

A man who lives on the bank of a river does not use spittle to wash his hands. ~Nigerian Proverb

One day of rain far surpasses a whole year of drought. ~Malawian Proverb

An old he-goat does not sneeze for nothing. ~Meru Proverb

The more feathers a chicken has, the bigger it looks. ~Zambian Proverb

Nature gave us two cheeks instead of one to make it easier to eat hot food. ~Ghanaian Proverb

To seek without finding, equals waste of time. ~Egyptian Proverb

The earth moves at different speeds depending on who you are. ~Nigerian Proverb

Tomorrow is pregnant, who knows what it will deliver? ~Nigerian Proverb

An ugly child of your own is more to you than a beautiful one belonging to your neighbor. ~Ganda Proverb

When there is on a red-hot hoe, it is not grasped. ~Bantu Proverb

Don't reply one wrong with another. ~Masai Proverb

Every camel was once upon a time two years old. ~Somali Proverb

What is bad luck for one man is good luck for another. ~Ashanti Proverb

Let your love be like the misty rain, coming softly, but flooding the river. ~Liberian & Madagascan Proverb

One who waits for chance may wait a year. ~Yoruba Proverb

If anybody makes you laugh, it is not always because he loves you. ~Kikuyu Proverb

We mustn't confuse mastery with mimicry, knowledge with superstitious ignorance. ~Egyptian Proverb

All errors are amendable. ~African Proverb

A bird in hand is better than ten on a tree. ~Egyptian Proverb

Three things cause sorrow to flee; water, green trees, and a beautiful face. ~Moroccan Proverb

The way a chief acts affects the entire village ~Ugandan Proverb

It is the fear of offence that makes men swallow poison. ~Nigerian Proverb

Words are like spears: Once they leave your lips they can never come back. ~Yoruba Proverb

Love has to be shown by deeds not words. ~Swahili Proverb

Do not scare the birds you are going to shoot. ~Malagasy Proverb

Wherever something stands, another thing stands beside it. ~Igbo Proverb

A person who will not take advice gets knowledge when trouble overtakes him ~Xhosa Proverb

If a child washes his hands he can eat with kings. ~African Proverb

Even a friend can not rescue one from old age. ~Kenyan Proverb

Even the fall of a dancer is a somersault. ~Senegalese Proverb

wo guests love a different song. ~Kikuyu Proverb

The process of eating is not taught to a child. ~Swahili Proverb

The misfortune that comes into town does not wear a turban. ~Beninese Proverb

The bark of one tree will not adhere to another tree. ~Masai Proverb

A hyena cannot smell its own stench. ~Kenyan Proverb

He who is guilty is the one who has much to say. ~Ashanti Proverb

The hunter's name is always connected to the meat of the elephant. ~Ghanaian Proverb

Two raindrops do not make a pool. ~Nigerian Proverb

A child does not fear treading on dangerous ground until he or she gets hurt. ~Bukusu Proverb

The prince is never guilty in his father's court. ~Igbo Proverb

A thief of a chicken always has a feather on his head. ~Egyptian Proverb

On a dead tree there are no monkeys. ~Mozambican Proverb

It is the wandering dog that finds the old bone. ~Sierra Leone

Where water is the boss there the land must obey. ~African Proverb

Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunters. ~Nigerian Proverb

You can't jump from one tree to another but you can from one man to another. ~Nigerian Proverb

When a slave mounts a camel he wants to ride on both humps. ~Egyptian Proverb

Profit is profit even in Mecca. ~Nigerian Proverb

A goose's child is a swimmer. ~Egyptian Proverb

He who is afraid of doing too much always does too little. ~Nigerian Proverb

In the house he is a leaf; outside, a camel ~Ethiopian Proverb

When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion. ~Ethiopian Proverb

All you can tell about a big belly is that the owner has had a lot to eat, not what he had to eat. ~Igbo Proverb

Other people’s wisdom prevents the king from being called a fool ~Nigerian Proverb

It is when there is a stampede, that a person with big buttocks knows that he carries a load. ~Nigerian Proverb

A fully grown up tree cannot be bent into a walking stick. ~Kenyan Proverb

The abundance of fruit caused the death of the fruit lover. ~Kenyan Proverb

Every river knows where its water would not be soaked up into the earth, and that is where it flows past. ~Nigerian Proverb

Salt doesn't say it's salty. ~Tuareg Proverb

Do not respond to a mosquito with a hammer because you will miss and hurt yourself. ~Kenyan Proverb

A nation is never exulted by disunity. ~Kenyan Proverb

A smiling face removes unhappiness. ~West African Proverb

The rat does not help the other rat to peel a piece of maize. ~Kenyan Proverb

A tender bamboo cannot be eagerly desired (for building). ~Chewa Proverb

Gold should be sold to the one who knows the value of it. ~African Proverb

Rats don't dance in the cat's doorway. ~African Proverb

Little by little grow the bananas. ~Congolese Proverb

If you want to give a sick man medicine, let him first be really ill -- so that he can see how well the medicine works. ~Nigerian Proverb

A man who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred. ~South African Proverb

After he grew old, they sent him to school. ~Egyptian Proverb

A case is not to be decided from one mouth. ~Bantu Proverb

The fowl perspires, but the feathers do not allow us to see the perspiration. ~Nigerian Proverb

Without retaliation, evils would one day become extinct from the world. ~Nigerian Proverb

If you overtake a leader, you break your neck ~Ugandan Proverb

To have no enemies is equivalent to wealth. ~Nigerian Proverb

One must have to wait till the evening of one's life time to know what gratitude to pay to one's guardian spirit. ~Nigerian Proverb

It is not only the hare, the tortoise arrives also at the destination. ~Nigerian Proverb

We will water the thorn for the sake of the rose. ~African Proverb

The eye cannot penetrate darkness. ~Masai Proverb

Even without drumbeats, banana leaves dance. ~African Proverb

Curses do not fall a buffalo ~Ugandan Proverb

You are beautiful, but learn to work, for you cannot eat your beauty. ~Congolese Proverb

Place the pot upside down, and the girl will take after her mother. ~Egyptian Proverb

A leader does not listen to rumours ~Ghanaian Proverb

The woman who gives birth to a child is like the banana tree that breaks under the weight of its fruit. ~Kikuyu Proverb

The mouth is stupid after eating it forgets who gave it the food. ~African Proverb

A friend is someone you share the path with. ~Nilotic Proverb

If you neglect the pot, it boils over and extinguishes the fire. ~Nigerian Proverb

The belly does not swell if a woman is not pregnant. ~Masai Proverb

It is not hard to nurse a pregnancy, but it is hard to bring up a child. ~Swahili Proverb

A goat owned by two people sleeps outside. ~Nigerian Proverb

Saying that it's for her child, she gets herself a loaf of bread. ~Ethiopian Proverb

From the word of an elder is derived a bone. ~Rwandan Proverb

Befriend many, but trust few. ~Ugandan Proverb

Nine is nearly ten. ~Kenyan Proverb

Mere strength does not denote chieftainship, otherwise the hornbill would be king of the birds ~Ugandan Proverb

He who refuses a gift will not fill his barn. ~Sierra Leone

A child who has no mother will not have scars to show on his back. ~Nigerian Proverb

You may grow taller, but no taller than your head. ~Bassa Proverb

Silence is an attribute of the dead; he who is alive speaks. ~Yoruba Proverb

The death of an elderly man is like a burning library. ~Ivorian Proverb

Whoever says let's fight does not know who will be victorious. ~Nigerian Proverb

Why do you behave like a woman whose son has just married ? ~Masai Proverb

Even as the archer loves the arrow that flies, so too he loves the bow that remains constant in his hands. ~Nigerian Proverb

Two noisy waterfalls do not agree ~Kenyan Proverb

The lion’s power lies in our fear of him ~Nigerian Proverb

A person who uses the world as his carrying pad will find himself carrying his load on his bare head. ~Igbo Proverb

Stretch your hands as far as they reach, grab all you can grab. ~Yoruba Proverb

The food which is prepared has no master. ~Malagasy Proverb

A snake that swallows his friend will have a tail sticking out of his mouth. ~Igbo Proverb

Competition exhausted the lungs. ~Kenyan Proverb

It is the same moon that wanes today that will be the full moon tomorrow. ~Nigerian Proverb

When a four-year child is still crawling instead of walking it is time to cry out. ~African Proverb

He who throws a stone in the market will hit his relative. ~Yoruba Proverb

Dancing to the drum will be done where the drum is. ~Igbo Proverb

One goat cannot carry another goat's tail. ~Nigerian Proverb

Coffee and love taste best when hot. ~Ethiopian Proverb

Dress-up a stick and you get a doll. ~Egyptian Proverb

Two men in a burning house must stop to argue. ~Ashanti Proverb

If the full moon loves you, why worry about the stars? ~Tunisian Proverb

Whenever I work hard for other people, I always sleep on an empty stomach. ~Bantu Proverb

The elephant can trip over a creeping plant ~Masai Proverb

Man fears time - Time fears the pyramids. ~Egyptian Proverb

What you do on your own does not make you cry. ~Mozambican Proverb

Lies have no legs. ~Egyptian Proverb

Follow bees and get honey. ~Kenyan Proverb

Grain must return to the earth, die, and decompose for new growth to begin. ~Egyptian Proverb

The woman is cold water that kills you; deep water that you drown in. ~Nigerian Proverb

A man that begets a barren cannot have a grand child. ~Nigerian Proverb

A family name is not cooked and eaten, one's life is the thing. ~Nigerian Proverb

A great affair covers up a small matter. ~Yoruba Proverb

A leader goes to war only when he is insulted. ~Ghanaian Proverb

Songs learnt from outside sources are not used at a dance so long. ~Swahili Proverb

Singing Alelulia everywwhere does not prove piety. ~Ethiopian Proverb

Every man must act in the rhythm of his time, such is wisdom. ~Egyptian Proverb

Two bulls fighting must disengage their heads before one is defeated ~Kenyan Proverb

When a man finds that he was wrong to have refused to eat, he should leave his anger and play a harp to call for harmony. ~Nigerian Proverb

The crocodile drinks from the same river as the centipede. ~Nigerian Proverb

Man is like a pepper, till you have chewed it you do not know how hot it is. ~Hausa Proverb

Everything has an end. ~Masai Proverb

If you decide to eat a toad, you should at least select one that is big. ~Igbo Proverb

If you call a piece of wood 'child', you can never use it to light fire since it has become so precious. ~Rwandan Proverb

The throne upon which the chief is seated does not shake. ~Congolese Proverb

Throats are all alike in swallowing ~Xhosa Proverb

You can't use your hand to force the sun to set. ~Nigerian Proverb

Lucky is he who has a sargeant for an uncle. ~Egyptian Proverb

One falsehood spoils a thousand truths. ~Ashanti Proverb

It is the first step that is difficult. ~Nigerian Proverb

The hottest music and dance always comes from home. ~African Proverb

A Tutsi liked to warm himself by the fire; someone else took the bull. ~Zinza People of Tanzania

There is always a winner even in a monkey's beauty contest. ~African Proverb

However far the stream flows, it never forgets its source. ~Nigerian Proverb

Ugliness with a good character is better than beauty. ~Nigerian Proverb

As small as a button but a big trouble maker ~Egyptian Proverb

Do not step on the dog's tail, and he will not bite you. ~Cameroonian Proverb

If the wind blows, it enters every crevice. ~Egyptian Proverb

A chief is like a rubbish heap; everything comes to him. ~Malawian Proverb

Love never gets lost it's only kept. ~African Proverb

The beauty of a woman becomes useless if there is no one to admire it. ~African Proverb

It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man. ~Ghanaian Proverb

You are beautiful because of your possessions. ~Baguirmi Proverb

A beautiful woman is the same as a richest man. ~Ghanaian Proverb

A child points out to you the direction and then you find your way. ~Kenyan Proverb

Do not use your spear to separate cattle ~Kenyan Proverb

They ate our food, and forgot our names. ~Tunisian Proverb

Old age does not come in just one day. ~Nigerian Proverb

After a foolish deed comes remorse. ~Kenyan Proverb

He was entrapped by the evening, it has cost him his marriage. ~Bantu Proverb

If one imitates the upright, one becomes upright; if one imitates the crooked, one becomes crooked. ~Nigerian Proverb

Away from home the girl picks forbidden fruit. ~Bantu Proverb

He who eats another mans food will have his own food eaten by others. ~Swahili Proverb

The big fish is caught with big bait. ~Sierra Leone

A calm spirit will enable a man to survive even a six-month jail sentence. ~Igbo Proverb

A woman who wants a child doesn't sleep in her clothes. ~African Proverb

If you rattle a snake, you should be prepared to be bitten by it. ~Kikuyu Proverb

If those with horns cannot manage, what about those without them? ~Ugandan Proverb

The mother of a monkey sees him as beautiful and graceful as a deer. ~Egyptian Proverb

One blind man cannot lead another ~Ugandan Proverb

Better half a donkey than half a camel. ~Egyptian Proverb

He who has made his child stop fighting does not make bullets. ~Ghanaian Proverb

All is never said. ~Nigerian Proverb

It is useless to be afraid of death. ~Cameroonian Proverb

You cannot dance without music though you can sing instrumentally without dancing. ~African Proverb

Not to know is bad, not to wish to know is worse. ~Nigerian Proverb

A man who lives alone is either always overworked, or always overfed. ~Nigerian Proverb

He who loves you swallows stones from you, while your enemy waits for your mistakes. ~Egyptian Proverb

What has defeated the elders’ court, take to the public ~Kenyan ProverbThe road doesn't tell the traveler what lies ahead. ~Bantu Proverb

He who tells the truth is never wrong. ~Swahili Proverb

When the leopard has a broken paw, the antellope comes to collect an old debt. ~Igbo Proverb

Hope does not disappoint. ~South African Proverb

When a king has good counsellors, his reign is peaceful. ~Ghanaian Proverb

The miserable got together with the hopeless. ~Egyptian Proverb

The foot has no nose ~Xhosa Proverb

If you take from the hill, it'll shake. ~Egyptian Proverb

Only a monkey understands a monkey. ~Sierra Leone

It is better to be poor and live long than rich and die young. ~Masai Proverb

Money goes to peacocks. ~Egyptian Proverb

What forgets is the axe, but the tree that has been axed will never forget. ~Zimbabwean Proverb

He who pursues an innocent chicken always stumbles. ~Nigerian Proverb

For the sake of peace, hard decisions must be made. ~Tanzanian Proverb

It is the eye which has travelled that is clever (or, clever is the eye that has travelled). ~Masai Proverb

The impotent man does not eat spicy foods. ~Congolese Proverb

No matter how long a log stays in the water, it doesn't become a crocodile. ~Bambara Proverb

Live patiently in the world; know that those who hate you are more numerous than those who love you. ~African Proverb

An elder can be advised but never insulted ~Kenyan Proverb

A hundred aunts is not the same as one mother. ~Sierra Leone

Even if you dance for your enemy on the rock, he will accuse you of splashing water on him. ~African Proverb

When one is taking a chicken from its roost, the hen is bound to attack with at least its claws. ~Nigerian Proverb

The tears of the adulteress are ever ready to be shed. ~Egyptian Proverb

The bullet that doesn't hit anything still makes a noise. ~Egyptian Proverb

It is wisdom to prevent someone from whom one cannot accept repayment to have access to one's valuable possessions. ~Nigerian Proverb

The crab has stuck fast between the stones at the entrance of its hole ~Xhosa Proverb

Slander by the stream will be heard by the frogs. ~Mozambican Proverb

It is the toothless animal that arrives first at the base of the fruit tree, to eat his fill before others arrive. ~Nigerian Proverb

In a fiddler's house, all are dancers. ~Rwandan Proverb

t takes a village to raise a child. ~Nigerian Proverb

Do not show the hawk your bow, or he will fly away. ~Masai Proverb

Where the chief walks the disputes are settled. ~Namibian Proverb

Good music goes with good food. ~African Proverb

If you have one finger pointing at somebody, you have three pointing towards yourself. ~Nigerian Proverb

If you are ugly, learn how to dance. ~Zambian Proverb

The stream may prevent you from crossing, but it cannot prevent you from retracting your steps. ~Hausa Proverb

The mouth wronged the walker. ~Kenyan Proverb

By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed. ~Ashanti Proverb

When a fire starts from the shrine, no precaution can be possible. ~Nigerian Proverb

The earth is a beehive; we all enter by the same door but live in different cells. ~Bantu Proverb

Swearing in the name of one god while at the shrine of another god. ~Igbo Proverb

He who understands music understands the cosmos. ~Egyptian Proverb

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. ~Guinean Proverb

Talks that are considered to be important must be made to drag on for so long as to make even the deaf begin to hear it. ~Nigerian Proverb

Having brains make a person look good. ~Egyptian Proverb

Sweet rice is eaten quickly. ~Sierra Leone

Give earrings to someone with no ears, and pistachio to someone with no teeth. ~Egyptian Proverb

The medicine man has no fame in his village ~Kenyan Proverb

A child who is carried on the back will not know how far the journey is. ~Nigerian Proverb

A man who is trampled to death by an elephant is a man who is blind and deaf. ~Nigerian Proverb

A person who chases a chicken is due for a fall. The chicken is a master of the dodged escaped. ~Igbo Proverb

Rain does not make friends with anybody -- it falls on any person it meets outside. ~Nigerian Proverb

When a new saying gets to the land of empty men they lose their heads over it. ~Igbo Proverb

In all the world, things are two and two. ~Ugandan Proverb

Chieftanship is not infectious. ~Bantu Proverb

He who spends his time adorning himself knows he is going to a dance. ~Kikuyu Proverb

A silly daughter teaches her mother how to bear children. ~Ethiopian Proverb

You cannot take away someone's luck. ~Kenyan Proverb

Bathe her and then look at her. ~Egyptian Proverb

If you allow yourself to forget the sound of your town's horn you get lost in the gathering. ~Ashanti Proverb

Put by for a rainy day. ~Egyptian Proverb

The chaser and the one who is chased get tired. ~Kenyan Proverb

To sleep is to change. ~Basotho Proverb

If it doesn't resemble dad, it resembles mum. ~Kenyan Proverb

Hold a true friend with both hands. ~Nigerian Proverb

When a strong man sends a message, he sends it with a weak man ~Ethiopian Proverb

Whether a chief is good or bad, people unify around someone. ~Malian Proverb

A single man can not build a house. ~Nigerian Proverb

Burning charcoal is turned into ashes. ~Kenyan Proverb

The unlucky will stay unlucky, even if they hang a lantern on his head. ~Egyptian Proverb

A pad that breaks a pot of water does not remain on the head. ~Nigerian Proverb

Mother's soup is always the best in the world. ~Nigerian Proverb

It is one person in a street that kills a dog and the street is named a street of dog killers. ~Nigerian Proverb

Perhaps you do not understand me because you do not love me. ~African Proverb

Being a small chief is better than being second in command. ~Ugandan Proverb

Wise rising gives joy. ~Egyptian Proverb

Stream, it knows where to flow. ~Kenyan Proverb

'I nearly killed the bird.' No one can eat 'nearly' in a stew. ~Yoruba Proverb

You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla. ~Congolese Proverb

When a poor man gets a little money, his thoughts go off in ten different directions. ~Igbo Proverb

They prevent us from getting red clay from the pit, and they do not use it ~Xhosa Proverb

The only thing that is humiliating is helplessness. ~Egyptian Proverb

It is better for the eye to die than the heart. ~Kenyan Proverb

Hide the mouthfuls of food. ~Masai Proverb

He who chatters with you will chatter about you. ~Egyptian Proverb

He who chatters with you will chatter about you. ~Egyptian Proverb

The bird flies, but always returns to earth. ~Gambian Proverb

To eat from the same pot with another man, is to take an oath of perpetual friendship with him. ~Nigerian Proverb

An answer if profitable in proportion to the intensity of the quest. ~Egyptian Proverb

Cheekiness does not make a good leader. ~Ugandan Proverb

A masquerade does not perform to an outside audience until he performs well at the home base. ~Nigerian Proverb

Prefer the leader who comes to you ~Ugandan Proverb

The man being carried does not realize how far away the town really is. ~Nigerian Proverb

The forest provides food to the hunter after they are exhaustingly tired. ~Zimbabwean Proverb

The skunk rat can get as fat and plump as he pleases. If his whole hind leg costs one anini, I still will not buy it. ~Igbo Proverb

Without a leader, black ants are confused ~Ugandan Proverb

A house has the character of the man who lives in it. ~Egyptian Proverb

A man can't be judge of his neighbor' intelligence. His own vital experience is never his neighbor's. ~Egyptian Proverb

He who burns down his house knows why ashes cost a fortune. ~African Proverb

Dine with a stranger, but save your love for your family. ~Ethiopian Proverb

It is the grass that knows where the snake goes. ~Bantu Proverb

The celebration does not last forever. ~Kenyan Proverb

The pillar of the world is hope. ~Nigerian Proverb

A rat-trap catches both the guilty and the innocent. ~Kenyan Proverb

Even the fiercest leader in the world is overcome by sleep. ~Malawian Proverb

Cut of the sick part while it is still small. ~Bantu Proverb

Children of the same mother do not always agree. ~Nigerian Proverb

To be without a friend is to be poor indeed. ~Tanzanian Proverb

Warm water never forgets that it was once cold. ~Nigerian Proverb

Even sugar itself may spoil a good dish. ~Hausa Proverb

The wise continues while the fool is always beginning. ~Zambian Proverb

Bump-thump-scratch. It's all on a big man's skin. ~Igbo Proverb

A word in the heart does not win. ~Kenyan Proverb

From the well of envy, only a fool drinks the water. ~Nigerian Proverb

Images are nearer reality than cold definitions. ~Egyptian Proverb

The head of your neighbor is a kingdom and his heart a wood. ~Nigerian Proverb

Greatness and beauty do not belong to the gods alone. ~Nigerian Proverb

Too many clever people do not make many successes. ~African Proverb

I ate honey in my childhood, and its sweetness is still in my tooth. ~Swahili Proverb

A woman is never old when it comes to the dance she knows. ~African Proverb

A childless old lady is obsessed with sea shells. ~Somali Proverb

What you don't know, you will not recognize. ~Cameroonian Proverb

The plant reveals what is in the seed. ~Egyptian Proverb

The plant reveals what is in the seed. ~Egyptian Proverb

It takes a breast for a child to know it's mother and it takes a mother for a child to know its father. ~African Proverb

The best good deed/charity is a quick one. ~Egyptian Proverb

Diseased genitals must keep to themselves. ~Yoruba Proverb

When the elderly ones in a house travel, the younger ones quickly grow in experience. ~Nigerian Proverb

Familiarity breeds contempt; distance breeds respect. ~Nigerian Proverb

The purity of your name is worth more than the purity of your body. ~Tunisian Proverb

If a leader loves you, he makes sure you build your house on rock ~Ugandan Proverb

If there were no elephant in the jungle, the buffalo would be a great animal. ~Ghanaian Proverb

The jungle is stronger than the elephant. ~South African Proverb

A tree is straightened when it's young. ~African Proverb

Without knowing a person we must not hate him. ~Nigerian Proverb

Who is brave enough to tell the lion that his breath smells? ~African Proverb

Grass does not grow on the nose of a thief. ~Nigerian Proverb

Tradition remains in the ear. ~Ghanaian Proverb

Think before you act. ~Luhya Proverb

Days cannot be tied in a bundle. ~Bantu Proverb

As long as there are lice in the seams of the garment there must be bloodstains on the fingernails. ~Nigerian Proverb

Teeth do not see poverty ~Masai Proverb

Even though the old man is strong and hearty, he will not live forever. ~Ashanti Proverb

Only a wise person can solve a difficult problem. ~Akan Proverb

It is no use whatever preaching Wisdom to men: you must inject it into their blood. ~Egyptian Proverb

A guest mourner does not wail as though his heart is broken. ~Igbo Proverb

You suffer from smoke produced by the firewood you fetched yourself. ~Luhya Proverb

If a poor person has nothing else, he has at least a sweet tongue with which to defer the payments of his debts. ~Ghanaian Proverb

He may say that he loves you, yes, but wait and see what he does for you. ~Senegalese Proverb

If one goes to a land where they cut off ears, he should cut off his own and contribute them. ~Nigerian Proverb

The child who loves freedom is the first victim of it. ~Bambara Proverb

Marriage is like a ground nut, you must crack it to see what is inside. ~Ghanaian Proverb

A single tree can not make a forest. ~Nigerian Proverb

Even if your bee-hive has no honey in it, you shouldn't break it up. ~Bantu Proverb

Work is the medicine for poverty. ~Yoruba Proverb

When the music changes, then the rhythm of the dance must change also. ~Tuareg Proverb

ou do not need a big stick to break a cock's head. ~Nigerian Proverb

Run as a beast, you will not get except your share. ~Egyptian Proverb

A razor may be sharper than an ax, but it cannot cut wood. ~Annang Proverb

Unless you call out, who will open the door? ~Ethiopian Proverb

What is inflated too much will break into fragments. ~Ethiopian Proverb

Does humanity become civilized all at once? ~Ghanaian Proverb

Kindness can pluck the hairs of a lion's mustache. ~Sudanese Proverb

He who knows not shame does whatever he likes. ~Egyptian Proverb

If you have enemies, then travel with your spear. ~Namibian Proverb

Love is in blood not in talking. ~African Proverb

When a wealthy leader runs out of words, it is money that does the talking ~Malawian Proverb

When the powerful sit, they are none the weaker ~Ugandan Proverb

A clear thinking leader is a sign of stability and an agent for change in society. ~Sierra Leone

A lone runner says he has legs (runs fast). ~Kenyan Proverb

A generous chief makes you thankful ~Ugandan Proverb

Misfortune does not restrict his visits to one day. ~Ghanaian Proverb

One who possesses much wisdom has it in the heart, not on the lips. ~Ugandan Proverb

He is like a hyena's sinew. ~Masai Proverb

A champion bull starts from birth. ~Kenyan Proverb

A beautiful thing is never perfect. ~Egyptian Proverb

When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him. ~Ashanti Proverb

A dog which refuses a bone is not alive. ~Somali Proverb

What you do in black hair you will eat in white hair. ~Nigerian Prover

What you do in black hair you will eat in white hair. ~Nigerian Prover

Leadership is best taught by a leader ~Ugandan Proverb

Train a child the way he should go and make sure you also go the same way. ~African Proverb

There are many colourful flowers on the path of life, but the prettiest have the sharpest thorns. ~African Proverb

We will be grateful flowers only if they have born fruits. ~Zimbabwean Proverb

Flies have ears. ~Masai Proverb

he food that is in the mouth is not yet in the belly. ~Kikuyu Proverb

One who bathes willingly with cold water doesn't feel the cold. ~Fipa Proverb

We let him in; but then he brought his donkey along, too. ~Egyptian Proverb

The truth is like gold: keep it locked up and you will find it exactly as you first put it away. ~Senegalese Proverb

You cannot use a wild banana leaf to shield yourself from the rains and then tear it to pieces later when the rains end. ~Nandi Proverb

A boat with two captains will sink. ~Egyptian Proverb

Patience is the key which solves all problems. ~Sudanese Proverb

The brother or sister who does not respect the traditions of the elders will not be allowed to eat with the elders. ~Ga People of Ghana

Youth is beauty, even in cattle. ~Egyptian Proverb

To know means to record in one's memory; but to understand means to blend with the thing and to assimilate it oneself. ~Egyptian Proverb

If a man is not clean and smooth, there is nothing he can really do about pride. ~Nigerian Proverb

Fire has no brother. ~Nigerian Proverb

Too many cocks crowing at the same time make the dawn take too long. ~Zambian Proverb

Do not insult the hunting guide before the sun has set. ~Sukuma Proverb

The withered tree will destroy the healthy tree when it falls down. ~Masai Proverb

A black cow also gives white milk. ~Sierra Leone

A mother's tenderness for her children is as discreet as the dew that kisses the earth. ~Nilotic proverb

The wasp says that several regular trips to a mud pit enables it to build a house. ~Ewe Proverb

A dog knows the places he is thrown food. ~Acholi Proverb

A quarrelsome chief does not hold a village together. ~Malawian Proverb

He who doesn't clean his mouth before breakfast always complains that the food is sour. ~African Proverb

All monkeys cannot hung on the same branch. ~Kenyan Proverb

To a man who has only a hammer in his tool kit, every problem looks like a nail. ~African Proverb

A home without a mother is a desert. ~Eritrean Proverb

Knowledge is like a garden: if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested. ~Guinean Proverb

Kachenche (a very small bird) is insignificant among strangers, but very important at home. ~Songe Proverb

It is the passive resistance from the helm that steers the boat. ~Egyptian Proverb

The food of the master of the house does not break the cooking pot ~Ugandan Proverb

Education is what you know, not what's in the book. ~Egyptian Proverb

A proverb is the horse of conversation: when the conversation lags, a proverb revives it. ~Nigerian Proverb

The cook does not have to be a beautiful woman. ~Shona Proverb

It takes a long time to unite an entire village hunting group. ~South African Proverb

It is the same thing when a man is once there whether he has been called or whether he has come of his own free will. ~Masai Proverb

When the bag tears the shoulders get a rest. ~Twi Proverb

Those who inherit fortunes are frequently more of a problem than those who made them. ~Congolese Proverb

The best of mankind is a farmer; the best food is fruit. ~Ethiopian Proverb

A turtle never abandons its carriage. ~Basotho Proverb

He who dictates separates himself from others. ~Somali Proverb

If you are not sleeping in a bed with someone, you don't struggle for his half of the bed. ~Ghanaian Proverb

The child of a rat is a rat. ~Malagasy Proverb

The bald person will find pride in the hair of her sister's daughter. ~Egyptian Proverb

The disobedient fowl obeys in a pot of soup. ~Beninese Proverb

When you cook a guinea fowl, the partridge gets a headache. ~Nigerian Proverb

Discord between the powerful is a fortune for the poor. ~African Proverb

The horse that arrives early gets good drinking water. ~Zulu Proverb

Where there is a friend, one does not have to call, he will come of his own accord. ~Bantu Proverb

The earrings are given to those without ears. ~Egyptian Proverb

Criticism of the brave is behind his back. ~Igbo Proverb

The creator of dance should not be excluded from it. ~Ghanaian Proverb

When your sister does your hair, you do not need a mirror. ~African Proverb

Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped. ~African Proverb

Guilt is like the footprint of a hippopotamus. ~Nigerian Proverb

Force against force equals more force. ~Ashanti Proverb

When a man is wealthy, he may wear an old cloth. ~Ashanti Proverb

The old pumpkin in the courtyard shall not be uprooted. ~Acholi Proverb

Even an expert swimmer drowns. ~Kenyan Proverb

Qualities of a moral order are measured by deeds. ~Egyptian Proverb

Old and new millet seeds end up in the same mill. ~Acholi Proverb

Better the child weeps than your wife. ~Togolese Proverb

When the load fatigues over the head, the shoulder takes over. ~Nigerian Proverb

If you never offer palm wine to your uncle, you will not know many proverbs. ~Beninese Proverb

The thirsty fig sits waiting patiently, waiting for the arrival of the rains. ~Nigerian Proverb

A woman possessed by demons dreams of toads in red dancing shoes. ~Nigerian Proverb

The nose does not precede the rest of the body. ~Masai Proverb

If you show off your strength, you will start a battle. ~Cameroonian Proverb

One person alone cannot rule the country ~Ethiopian Proverb

A child does not laugh at the ugliness of his mother. ~Ghanaian Proverb

When the elephants fight it is the grass that suffers. ~Nigerian Proverb

Relatives are spiders. ~Egyptian Proverb

he best way to eat hot soup is little by little. ~Igbo Proverb

Build the bridge first. ~Zambian Proverb

It is for saying that he has no time that the monkey's body became over-grown with long hairs. ~Nigerian Proverb

A strong man’s head is full of scars. ~Acholi Proverb

When a face is sullen it remains there to be seen on its owner. ~Nigerian Proverb

He that beats the drum for the mad man to dance is no better than the mad man himself. ~African Proverb

Those who die through ignorance are many; those who die because they are intelligent are few. ~Yoruba Proverb

The butterfly that brushes against thorns will tear its wings. ~Yoruba Proverb

It is the habit that a child forms at home, that follows them to their marriage. ~Nigerian Proverb

When God cooks, you don't see smoke. ~Kaonde Proverb

Nobody can say he is settled anywhere forever : it is only the mountains which do not move from their places. ~Masai Proverb

If you fear something you give it power over you. ~African Proverb

No matter how dark it is, the hand always knows the way to the mouth. ~Nigerian Proverb

One camel does not make fun of the other camel's hump. ~Ghanaian Proverb

A sinking ship doesn't need a captain. ~Kenyan Proverb

Whatever you teach a stupid person, he will forget. ~Egyptian Proverb

The darkness of night cannot stop the light of morning. ~Cameroonian Proverb

Only heaven can see the back of a sparrow. ~Bantu Proverb

When a leader changes mood, followers change the place of their abode ~Ugandan Proverb

It is survival, not bravery that makes a man climb a thorny tree. ~Ugandan Proverb

Everyone cut the grass. Cut the grass. Let no one call the others 'Prisoners'. ~Igbo Proverb

The quarrel of lovers is the renewal of love. ~Moroccan Proverb

The house roof fights the rain, but he who is sheltered ignores it. ~Nigerian Proverb

Bartered grains do not fill up the granary. ~Meru Proverb

You know who you love, but you can't know who loves you. ~Nigerian Proverb

When a man loses his prestige, he does not regain it by going to where he is not known. ~Nigerian Proverb

A wayward woman is like the weaver bird. She uses her perch on one tree to scout other trees. ~Igbo Proverb

A crowd is like a smoldering log which can spark into a flame at any time. ~Nigerian Proverb

They couldn't find any reason to criticize the roses, so they complained that they were red. ~Egyptian Proverb

If the panther knew how much he is feared, he would do much more harm. ~Cameroonian Proverb

One spoon of soup in need has more value than a pot of soup when we have an abundance of food. ~Angolan Proverb

A fool has many days ~Kikuyu Proverb

The man may be the head of the home; the wife is the heart. ~Kenyan Proverb

The child of lion is a lion. ~Swahili Proverb

If a blind man says he will throw a stone at you, he probably has his foot on one. ~Ghanaian Proverb

A happy man marries the girl he loves, but a happier man loves the girl he marries. ~African Proverb

No discussion can throw light if it wanders from the real point. ~Egyptian Proverb

When the door is closed, you must learn to slide across the crack of the sill. ~Yoruba Proverb

There is no gecko that does not claim to possess the longest tail ~Masai Proverb

The hyena with a cub does not consume all the available food. ~Kamba Proverb

If you are a leader of peace, listen to the discourse of the petitioner. Be not abrupt with him; that would trouble him. ~Egyptian Proverb

The most beautiful fig may contain a worm. ~Zulu Proverb

If a man leaves little children behind him, it is as if he did not die. ~Moroccan Proverb

We should put out fire while it is still small. ~Kenyan Proverb

You cannot tell the contents of a parcel until you open it. ~Nigerian Proverb

He who is sick will not refuse medicine. ~Nigerian Proverb

The cricket is never blinded by the sand of its burrowing. ~Nigerian Proverb

A chicken that keeps scratching the dung-hill will soon find the mother’s thigh bones. ~Ewe Proverb

There is no medicine against old age. ~Ashanti Proverb

A new idea (custom) follows an old one ~Masai Proverb

Even the small leopard is called leopard. ~Kenyan Proverb

Our senses serve to affirm, not to know. ~Egyptian Proverb

Knowledge is in the head, not the copybook. ~Egyptian Proverb

Love is a despot who spares no one. ~Namibian Proverb

The forest provides food to the hunter after he is utterly exhausted. ~Zimbabwean Proverb

Feet cannot stop one from going into danger. ~Kenyan Proverb

As a child, is a man wrapped in his mother's womb; as an adult, in tradition; comes death, and he is wrapped in earth. ~Malawian Prover

If you wish to eat a mushroom, you cannot consider what the mushroom fed on. ~Igbo Proverb

You cannot produce one human being without uniting two bodies. ~Cameroonian Proverb

A stubborn person sails in a clay boat. ~Haya Proverb

If you marry a monkey for his wealth, the money goes and the monkey remains as is. ~Egyptian Proverb

Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with gravel in his mouth. ~African Proverb

He who does not seize opportunity today, will be unable to seize tomorrow's opportunity. ~Somali Proverb

Rulers are like hills; when darkness falls, they all speak alike ~Ugandan Proverb

A string is needed to gather scattered beads. ~Somali Proverb

A proverb is the horse that can carry one swiftly to the discovery of ideas. ~Yoruba Proverb

You are not like firewood which is burnt, you are always there. ~Masai Proverb

A shepherd does not strike his sheep ~Nigerian Proverb

Altruism is the mark of a superior being. ~Egyptian Proverb

A community without elders does not prosper. ~Mozambican Proverb

Only a medicine man gets rich by sleeping. ~Kenyan Proverb

Hope resides in togetherness ~African Proverb

An old story does not open the ear as a new one does. ~Beninese Proverb

Be glad you are unknown, for when you are known, you would wish you weren't. ~Ghanaian Proverb

To love someone who does not love you, is like shaking a tree to make the dew drops fall. ~Congolese Proverb

When a drunken man meets a mad man, he learns the difference between being merely drunk and being truly mad. ~Igbo Proverb

If a child is not well-behaved, she is not sent by the mother to go alone to the market to buy things for her. ~Nigerian Proverb

Assistance conquers a lion. ~Moroccan Proverb

Don't try to make someone hate the person he loves, for he will still go on loving, but he will hate you. ~Senegalese Proverb

A donkey which goes to grow horns returns with its ears cut off ~Ethiopian Proverb

Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it. ~Akan Proverb

If the elders leave you a legacy of dignified language, you do not abandon it and speak childish language. ~Ghanaian Proverb

No tattoo is made without blood. ~Mozambican Proverb

Equality is not easy, but superiority is painful. ~Serer of Senegal

If a blind man says, Let's throw stones, be assured that he has stepped on one. ~Nigerian Proverb

If you want to kill a monkey, avoid looking him in the eyes. ~Kenyan Proverb

Everything is formed by habit, even praying. ~Egyptian Proverb

Silence is the best answer to the stupid. ~Egyptian Proverb

Patience puts a crown on the head ~Ugandan Proverb

He who is called a man must behave like a man. ~Nigerian Proverb

What makes the drum pleasing is the song. ~Bantu Proverb

he elephant’s tracks cover the camel’s tracks. ~Nigerian Proverb

He who thinks he is leading and has no one following him is only taking a walk. ~Malawian Proverb

Patient people are patient to gain longevity. ~Nigerian Proverb

No masika (rain season) without mosquitoes. ~Kenyan Proverb

If you refuse the elder's advice you will walk the whole day. ~Ngoreme Proverb

First he craved for high profile visibility; then he begged for oblivious privacy. ~Ethiopian Proverb

You take a bull by the horns and a man by his words. ~Bantu Proverb

A man with a cough cannot conceal himself. ~Yoruba Proverb

To love that one who never loves you is like rain falling in the forest. ~African Proverb

When the heart overflows, it comes out through the mouth. ~Ethiopian Proverb

Where you will sit when you are old shows where you stood in youth. ~Yoruba Proverb

When a man is coming toward you, you need not say: Come here. ~Ashanti Proverb

One must row in whichever boat one finds one's self. ~Nigerian Proverb

To give birth is to lengthen one's knees. ~South African Proverb

He would get hold of a red-hot iron brand (gikama) just after it has left the fire. ~Meru Proverb

To try and fail is not laziness. ~Sierra Leone

There is no god like the throat: it takes sacrifices daily. ~Nigerian Proverb

The strong do not need clubs. ~Senegalese Proverb

A judge is himself under judgement ~Kenyan Proverb

A wrong step by a leader is a warning to the followers. ~African Proverb

I am talking to you, daughter-in-law, so that you could hear it, neighbor. ~Egyptian Proverb

If the rhythm of the drum beat changes, the dance steps must adapt. ~Kossi Proverb

The value of peace is never known until the peace is disturbed. ~Sierra Leone

The blind say that eyes have no sense of smell. ~Nigerian Proverb

Suppression of hunger leads to death. ~Kenyan Proverb

Leave him in error who loves his error. ~Egyptian Proverb

I came to you to help me, but I found that you need help. ~Egyptian Proverb

A chief is a chief because of a nation. ~South African Proverb

The world is like a goat's udder. It does not yile any milk, unless you punch and squeeze at it. ~Igbo Proverb

A person can never run so fast as to run away from his backside. ~Igbo Proverb

A ruler who is weak puts a load on his head ~Ugandan Proverb

Cover up the good you do -- do like the Nile and conceal your sources. ~Egyptian Proverb

The remedies of several medicine men weaken one another ~Kenyan Proverb

Jealousy is as ash. ~Nigerian Proverb

What you help a child to love can be more important than what you help him to learn. ~African Proverb

Old countries don't disappear overnight; they stay for breakfast. ~Egyptian Proverb

An udara fruit that falls by the roadside must want to be picked up and eaten. ~Igbo Proverb

A wise man never knows all, only fools know everything. ~African Proverb

Too much fear creates slavery. ~Kenyan Proverb

Water always finds a way out. ~Cameroonian Proverb

All seed answer light, but the color is different. ~Egyptian Proverb

At whatever age a child gets a problem, at the same age she has to shoulder the responsibility. ~Igbo Proverb

The strength of a hero does not centre on his buttocks. ~Meru Proverb

The village which is not discussed is not built. ~Masai Proverb

The thing that will hurt you will always keep on coming back even if you try to avoid it. ~Shubi Proverb

A beetle saw her children on the wall, she said they look like a string of pearls. ~Egyptian Proverb

Criticism is easy but it does not create. ~Nigerian Proverb

Dress-up the beatle, it becomes the lady of the ladies. ~Egyptian Proverb

The witness of a rat is another rat. ~Ethiopian Proverb

Bad leaders are elected by poor citizens who do not vote ~Kenyan Proverb

A man who believes that he can do everything, let him dig a grave and bury himself. ~Igbo Proverb

When a once-beautiful piece of cloth has turned into rags, no one remembers that it was woven by Ukwa master weavers. ~Igbo Proverb

A one-eyed person does not thank god until he meets a blind person at prayer. ~Nigerian Proverb

Do not be a leader and use it to your own advantage ~Ugandan Proverb

Regrets are like a child, They come some considerable time after event. ~Swahili Proverb

As long as a human being lives, she will learn. ~Libyan Proverb

Where there is love there is no darkness. ~Burundian Proverb

The pot and the lid do not break on one day. ~Congolese Proverb

There is no elephant that complains about the weight of its trunk. No elephant is burdened by the weight of its tusks. ~Nigerian Proverb

Lack of cooperation between water and papyrus lets fire destroy the common swamp ~Ugandan Proverb

Only someone else can scratch your back. ~Luhya Proverb

When your neighbor's horse falls into a pit, you should not rejoice at it, for your own child may fall into it too. ~Yoruba Proverb

Sweet and sour walk hand in hand. ~Efik Proverb

Misery loves company. ~Kenyan Proverb

A leader does not wish for war ~Kenyan Proverb

Rat no dey born rabbit. ~Nigerian Proverb

The sheep with a strong master sleeps with his tail outside the house ~Ethiopian Proverb

They found no wrong with roses, so they said it is red! ~Egyptian Proverb

The jewel of the house is the child. ~Senegalese Proverb

A lion can run faster than we can, but we can run farther. ~Masai Proverb

A canoe does not know who the leader is; when it turns over, everyone gets wet. ~Malagasy Proverb

What an elder sees sitting; the young can't see standing. ~Igbo Proverb

A leader’s handbag is never completely empty ~Ugandan Proverb

When the food is cooked there is no need to wait before eating it. ~Kikuyu Proverb

The eye is not harmed by sleep. ~Igbo Proverb

It is only the tortoise that moves and carries its shell about, which it calls its house. ~Nigerian Proverb

Even if you bewitch in the night, you will be known. ~Kenyan Proverb

We invited the bald man to keep us company; he uncovered his baldness and scared us. ~Egyptian Proverb

A man with two ears can be supported by two words. ~Egyptian Proverb

A person who does not cultivate well his or her farm always says that it has been bewitched. ~Kwaya People of Tanzania