Proverbs

Selections from Africa

  • As high as a bird flies, this is where it ends up landing
  • It is with the water of the body that we draw water from the well
  • What the old sees sitting, the young does not see standing

Haitian Selections 

  1. Adobe gayé pa kimen
  2. Rammed earth marengwen ogmanté lariviè
  3. Bay kou bliye poté mak sonjé
  4. Bel fanmm bel malè
  5. Intèlijan tricked up bonè
  6. Kapon viv lontan
  7. Pig konnen sou ki bwa pou'l rubbed
  8. Laguè avèti pa killed kokobé
  9. Sé lè pié bwa tonbé kabrit mounted'l
  10. Ti chen gen fòs devan kay met li
  11. Sé bon kè krapo ki fè'l san tèt
  12. Makak pa jam kouè pitit li lèd
  13. Baton ki bat chen nwa, sé li kit bat chen blan an
  14. Manman pa janm modé pitit li nan zo
  15. Mandé chemen pa di pèdi pou sa
  16. Tambou fouyé nan bwa, sé lakay li vi'n bat
  17. Men ki kenbé kiyè bwa'a sé li ki pran chalè
  18. Machandiz ofri pa gen pri
  19. Si ou renmen grenn nan, sé pou'w renmen po'a
  20. Bòkò ba'w pouen li pa di'ou domi nan kafou
  21. Tròp graté fouyé kouiy
  22. Sé kòlon ki bat
  23. Depi nan ginen nèg rai nèg
  24. Manti pa fon hole
  25. All bourik ranni nan paturaj or
  26. Kabrit gen pluziè mèt, li domi nan solèy
  1. Pee that spreads does not foam. Meaning: You have to stay focused on any project to be successful.
  2. The mosquito pee increases the flow of the river. Meaning: Any contribution whatsoever can help a cause a buyer loses 
  3. Hitting without leaving a trace is forgotten, but a scar recalls. Meaning: One remembers a wrongdoing, the consequences of which are visible.
  4. Beautiful beautiful problem woman. Meaning: Beauty in women leads to problems and headaches.
  5. Intelligence deceives the early bird. Meaning: Being smart and cunning will surpass planning.
  6. Cowards live a long time. Meaning: Being careful and taking limited risks will allow a person to live longer or survive longer.
  7. A pig knows which tree to scratch its body on. Meaning: A person should be aware of what works for them and what can cause them problems.
  8. An announced war does not kill a disabled person. Meaning: A person who is forewarned about something can prepare and avoid the bad fallout associated with it.
  9. It's when a tree falls that goats can climb on it. Meaning: It is when a person is weak and out of his normal status that he can be dominated by a weaker person.
  10. A small dog is strong in front of its owner's house. Meaning: A weak person is only strong in their own protected environment and support network.
  11. It is the frog's good heart that makes it headless. Meaning: When you are too generous, you end up impoverishing yourself or hurting your own interests or not meeting your own needs.
  12. A monkey never thinks his children are ugly.
  13. The stick that beats the black dog is the one that beats the white.
  14. A mother never bites her children to the bone.
  15. Asking for direction does not mean that you are lost for it.
  16. The drum is built in the forest, but it beats in the house.
  17. The hand that holds the spoon is the one that feels the heat
  18. The goods we offer ourselves to a potential buyer lose their value.
  19. If you like the inside of the fruit, you must also like its skin.
  20. The voodoo priest gives you protection, but does not suggest that you sleep in a public intersection.
  21. By rubbing a bowl too much, you end up piercing it.
  22. The groups win.
  23. From Guinea, blacks hate blacks.
  24. The hole where a lie lodges is not deep.
  25. Let all the donkeys bray in their pasture.
  26. The goat with several owners sleeps under the sun.
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