African Proverbs
African proverbs collected by country and tribe, with meanings where they have been written. 435 in the archive.
- No matter how beautiful and well crafted a coffin might look, it will not make anyone wish for death.
- No matter how fast a man is, he cannot outrun his shadow.Cameroon
- No matter how hungry you are, you can only eat your food one mouthful at a time.
- Nobody is born wise.
- No sane person sharpens his machete to cut a banana tree.Nigeria
- Noisy birds never build nests.Cameroon
- There are so many good things in life but they are not all meant for you.
- Not to know is bad; not to want to know is worse.
- What the old man sees sitting down, the young man cannot see standing on a tree.Nigeria
- Every time an old person dies it is as if a library has burnt down.
- Once you choose to enter a bush don't fear the dew.
- One cannot both feast and become rich.Ghana
- One doesn't love another, if one doesn't accept anything from her.Niger
- One falsehood spoils a thousand truths.Ghana
- One should never rub bottoms with a porcupine.Guinea
- One tree does not make a forest.Ghana
- One who bathes willingly with cold water doesn't feel the cold.
- The one who gives thanks for the gift of yesterday will receive another gift tomorrow.Nigeria
- The one who is clothed in cotton wool does not hover or jump over a flame.
- One who loves you, warns you.Uganda
- One who plants grapes by the road side, and one who marries a pretty woman, share the same problem.Ethiopia
- One who recovers from sickness, forgets about God.
- Only a wise person can solve a difficult problem.Guinea
- Only a knife knows what the inside of a coco-yam looks like.