African Proverbs
African proverbs collected by country and tribe, with meanings where they have been written. 443 in the archive.
- Love doesn't rely on physical features.South Africa
- Love is like a baby: it needs to be treated tenderly.
- Love put the eaglet out of its nest.Kenya
- Love has to be shown by deeds not words.
- To love the king is not bad, but a king who loves you is better.Senegal
- To love someone who does not love you, is like shaking a tree to make the dew drops fall.Congo
- Lower your head modestly while passing, and you will harvest bananas.Congo
- Lying can get you a wife, but it won't keep her.Cameroon
- A man does not wander far from where his corn is roasting.Nigeria
- Man is like palm-wine: when young, sweet but without strength; in old age, strong but harsh.
- A man who uses force is afraid of reasoning.Kenya
- A man with too much ambition cannot sleep in peace.Chad
- A man without a wife is like a vase without flowers.
- Many births mean many burials.Kenya
- Marriage is like a groundnut; you must crack it to see what is inside.Ghana
- Marriage is not a tight knot, but a slip knot.Madagascar
- If you marry a monkey for his wealth, the money goes and the monkey remains as is.Egypt
- No matter how acrobatic a masquerade may be, he trails behind the monkey.
- Eneke the bird says that since men have learnt to shoot without missing, he has learnt to fly without perching.Nigeria
- When the shepherd comes home in peace, the milk is sweet.Ethiopia
- One who causes others misfortune also teaches them wisdom.
- Money is sharper than a sword.Ghana
- The monkey that tried to reach two mangoes at the same time from two different branches on a tree fell on its back.Malawi
- The mouse that makes jest of a cat has already seen a hole nearby.Nigeria