Sayings
Sayings
Sayings
Afritorial
June 22, 2012
INSPIRE, THE BEST
108 Comments
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ITS HERE THE NEW, EXPLOSIVE BOOK THAT RE-IMAGINES AFRICAS GLORY!
When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him.
~Ashanti Proverb
proverb
The fool speaks, the wise man listens. ~ Ethiopian proverb
Wisdom does not come overnight. ~ Somali proverb
The heart of the wise man lies quiet like limpid water. ~ Cameroon proverb
Wisdom is like fire. People take it from others. ~ Hema (DRC) proverb
Only a wise person can solve a difficult problem. ~ Akan proverb
Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand. ~ Guinean proverb
In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams.
~ Nigerian proverb
If you are filled with pride, then you will have no room for wisdom. ~
African proverb
A wise person will always find a way. ~ Tanzanian proverb
Nobody is born wise. ~ African proverb
A man who uses force is afraid of reasoning. ~Kenyan proverb
Wisdom is not like money to be tied up and hidden. ~ Akan proverb
You always learn a lot more when you lose than when you win. ~ African
proverb
You learn how to cut down trees by cutting them down. ~ Bateke proverb
The wise create proverbs for fools to learn, not to repeat. ~ African proverb
What you help a child to love can be more important than what you help
him to learn. ~African proverb
By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed.
~Ashanti proverb
One who causes others misfortune also teaches them wisdom. ~ African
proverb
You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla. ~Congolese
proverb
What you learn is what you die with. ~ African proverb
Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone. ~Moroccan Proverb
When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him.
~Ashanti Proverb
Ears that do not listen to advice, accompany the head when it is chopped
off. ~African Proverb
Advice is a stranger; if hes welcome he stays for the night; if not, he
leaves the same day. ~Malagasy Proverb
Traveling is learning. ~Kenyan Proverb
Where there are experts there will be no lack of learners. ~Swahili Proverb
A family is like a forest, when you are outside it is dense, when you are
inside you see that each tree has its place. ~ African Proverb
A united family eats from the same plate. ~ Baganda proverb
A family tie is like a tree, it can bend but it cannot break. ~ African proverb
If I am in harmony with my family, thats success. ~ Ute proverb
Brothers love each other when they are equally rich. ~ African proverb
Dine with a stranger but save your love for your family. ~ Ethiopian
proverb
There is no fool who is disowned by his family. ~ African proverb
Home affairs are not talked about on the public square. ~ African proverb
If relatives help each other, what evil can hurt them? ~ African proverb
He who earns calamity, eats it with his family. ~ African proverb
Dine with a stranger but save your love for your family. ~ Ethiopian
proverb
The old woman looks after the child to grow its teeth and the young one in
turn looks after the old woman when she loses her teeth. ~ Akan (Ghana,
Ivory Coast) proverb
When brothers fight to the death, a stranger inherits their fathers estate.
~ Ibo proverb
Children are the reward of life. ~ African proverb
Make some money but dont let money make you. ~ Tanzania
It is no shame at all to work for money. ~ Africa
He who loves money must labor. ~ Mauritania
Ghana
You should not hoard your money and die of hunger. Ghana
Wealth diminishes with usage; learning increases with use. ~ Nigeria
Wisdom is not like money to be tied up and hidden. ~ Akan
Having a good discussion is like having riches ~ Kenya
Knowledge is better than riches. ~ Cameroon
You must act as if it is impossible to fail. ~ Ashanti
Do not let what you cannot do tear from your hands what you can. ~
Ashanti
One who plants grapes by the road side, and one who marries a pretty
woman, share the same problem. ~Ethiopian Proverb
Beautiful from behind, ugly in front. ~Uganda Proverb
The skin of the leopard is beautiful, but not his heart. ~Baluba proverb
Ugliness with a good character is better than beauty. ~Nigerian Proverb
A beautiful one hurts the heart. ~African Proverb
Anyone who sees beauty and does not look at it will soon be poor. ~Yoruba
Proverb
The surface of the water is beautiful, but it is no good to sleep on.
~Ghanaian Proverb
If there is character, ugliness becomes beauty; if there is none, beauty
becomes ugliness. ~Nigerian Proverb
You are beautiful, but learn to work, for you cannot eat your beauty.
~Congolese Proverb
The one who loves an unsightly person is the one who makes him
beautiful. ~Ganda Proverb
Having beauty doesnt mean understanding the perseverance of marriage.
~African Proverb
You are beautiful because of your possessions. ~Baguirmi Proverb
Every woman is beautiful until she speaks. ~Zimbabwean Proverb
Three things cause sorrow to flee; water, green trees, and a beautiful face.
~Moroccan Proverb
A beautiful thing is never perfect. ~Egyptian Proverb
Patience is the mother of a beautiful child. ~Bantu Proverb
There is no beauty but the beauty of action. ~Moroccan Proverb
Judge not your beauty by the number of people who look at you, but rather
by the number of people who smile at you. ~African Proverb
A pretty face and fine clothes do not make character. ~Congolese Proverb
Youth is beauty, even in cattle. ~Egyptian Proverb
A pretty basket does not prevent worries. ~Congolese Proverb
Its those ugly caterpillars that turn into beautiful butterflies after seasons.
~African Proverb
The most beautiful fig may contain a worm. ~Zulu Proverb
It is only a stupid cow that rejoices at the prospect of being taken to a
beautiful abattoir. ~African Proverb
A woman who pursues a man for sex loses her spiritual beauty. ~African
Proverb
A chicken with beautiful plumage does not sit in a corner. ~African Proverb
The cook does not have to be a beautiful woman. ~Shona Proverb
Beautiful words dont put porridge in the pot. ~Botswana Proverb
She is beautiful; she has love, understands; she respects herself and
others; everyone likes, loves and honors her; she is a goddess. ~African
Proverb
There is always a winner even in a monkeys beauty contest. ~African
Proverb
Dress up a stick and itll be a beautiful bride. ~Egyptian Proverb
An ugly child of your own is more to you than a beautiful one belonging to
your neighbor. ~Ganda Proverb
Even the colors of a chameleon are for survival not beauty. ~African
Proverb
Beautiful discourse is rarer than emerald ~ yet it can be found among the
servant girls at the grindstones. ~Egyptian 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 womans polite devotion is her greatest beauty. ~African Proverb
There are many colorful flowers on the path of life, but the prettiest have
the sharpest thorns. ~African Proverb
He who marries a beauty marries trouble. ~Nigerian Proverb
Despite the beauty of the moon, sun and the stars, the sky also has a
threatening thunder and striking lightening. ~African Proverb
Getting only a beautiful woman is like planting a vine on the roadside
everyone feeds on it. ~African Proverb
Greatness and beauty do not belong to the gods alone. ~Nigerian Proverb
Roosters tail feathers: pretty but always behind. ~Malagasy Proverb
Beauty is not sold and eaten. ~Nigerian Proverb
She is like a road pretty, but crooked. ~Cameroonian Proverb
Why they like an ugly person takes long for a beautiful person to know.
~African Proverb
If you find Miss This Year beautiful, then youll find Miss Next Year even
more so. ~Nigerian Proverb
The beauty of a woman becomes useless if there is no one to admire it.
~African Proverb
He who loves the vase loves also what is inside. ~ African proverb
Its much easier to fall in love than to stay in love. ~ African proverb
Coffee and love taste best when hot. ~ Ethiopian proverb
Where there is love there is no darkness. ~Burundian proverb
If you are ugly you must either learn to dance or make love. ~
Zimbabwean Proverp
Pretend you are dead and you will see who really loves you. ~ African
proverb
To love the king is not bad, but a king who loves you is better. ~ Wolof
proverb
A happy man marries the girl he loves, but a happier man loves the girl he
marries. ~ African proverb
If you marry a monkey for his wealth, the money goes and the monkey
remains as is. ~ Egyptian proverb
Love never gets lost its only kept. ~ African proverb
Never marry a woman who has bigger feet than you. ~ Mozambique
proverb
One thread for the needle, one love for the heart. ~ Sudanese proverb
Love has to be shown by deeds not words. ~ Swahili proverb
Love is a despot who spares no one. ~Namibian proverb
Marriage is like a groundnut; you have to crack it to see what is inside. ~
Ghanaian proverb
food proverbs
African Quotes on Food
As porridge benefits those who heat and eat it, so does a child benefit
those that rear it. ~Amharic Proverb
The forest not only hides mans enemies but its full of mans medicine,
healing power and food. ~African Proverb
One person is a thin porridge; two or three people are a lump of ugali.
~Kuria Proverb
The man who counts the bits of food he swallows is never satisfied.
~African Proverb
Wine, women and food give gladness to the heart. ~Ancient Egyptian
Proverb
The food that is in the mouth is not yet in the belly. ~Kikuyu Proverb
You cannot work for food when there is no food for work. ~African Proverb
The chicken that digs for food will not sleep hungry. ~Bayombe Proverb
He who eats another mans food will have his own food eaten by others.
~Swahili Proverb
Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with gravel in
Proverb
What one wont eat by itself, one will eat when mixed with other food.
~Bantu & Lamba Proverb
Man is like a pepper, till you have chewed it you do not know how hot it is.
~Haussa Proverb
No one gets a mouthful of food by picking between another persons teeth.
~Igbo Proverb
It is not the cooks fault when the cassava turns out to be hard and
tasteless. ~Ewe Proverb
A housewife who complains that there is not enough foodstuff in the
market should remember that if her husband adds to what is already
available, there would be more for everyone. ~Nigerian Proverb
A spiders cobweb isnt only its sleeping spring but also its food trap.
~African Proverb
If you watch your pot, your food will not burn. ~Mauritanian, Nigerian, and
Niger Proverb
Those who are at one regarding food are at one in life. ~Malawian Proverb
Fine words do not produce food. ~Nigerian Proverb
Even the best cooking pot will not produce food. ~African Proverb
If I could see your face, I would not need food. ~Amharic Proverb
If you find no fish, you have to eat bread. ~Ghanaian Proverb
War is not porridge. ~Gikuyu Proverb
The best of mankind is a farmer; the best food is fruit. ~Ethiopian Proverb
Slowly, slowly, porridge goes into the gourd. ~Kuria People of Kenyan &
Tanzania
One shares food not words. ~Somali Proverb
If you are looking for a fly in your food it means that you are full. ~South
African Proverb
Nature gave us two cheeks instead of one to make it easier to eat hot food.
~Ghanaian Proverb
A patient that can swallow food makes the nurse doubtful. ~Malagasy
Proverb
If you give bad food to your stomach, it drums for you to dance. ~African
Proverb
A bad cook also has his/her share of the bad food. ~African Proverb
The forest provides food to the hunter after he is utterly exhausted.
~Zimbabwean Proverb
Things are to be tried, an old lady cooked stones and they produced soup.
~Zimbabwean Proverb
You cannot tell a hungry child that you gave him food yesterday.
~Zimbabwean Proverb
Good music goes with good food. ~African Proverb
Rich people cook their food in a potsherd. ~Kikuyu Proverb
However little food we have, well share it even if its only one locust.
~Malagasy Proverb
Water is colourless and tasteless but you can live on it longer than eating
food. ~African Proverb
Eat when the food is ready; speak when the time is right. ~Ethiopian
Proverb
The food eaten first lasts longest in the stomach. ~Kikuyu Proverb
When your luck deserts you, even cold food burns. ~Zambian Proverb
Happiness is as good as food. ~Maasai Proverb
Good words are food, bad words poison. ~Malagasy Proverb
The goat says: Where there is blood, there is plenty of food. ~Ghanaian
Proverb
If you see a man in a gown eating with a man in rags, the food belongs to
the latter. ~Fulani Proverb
They ate our food, and forgot our names. ~Tunisian Proverb
An abundance of food at your neighbours will not satisfy your hunger.
~Bayaka Proverb
Food you will not eat you do not boil. ~African Proverb
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108 Responses
God has obtained PhD in Creation while Satan did masters in distruction.
So let us clap at their graduation cermonies, for it is Compulsory to live and
disappear even in heaven, one cannot spends million years as an Angel.
Love this @Afritorial: The best: 72 African wise proverbs and inspiring
quotes | AFRiTORIAL http://t.co/qBlonl8o
Reply
Africa Fashion Guide (@AfricaFashGuide) June 23, 2012
With all these great African proverbs why is Africa so united and not
progressed perhaps from western viewpoint?
Or perhaps am I looking from a materialistic point of view?perhaps it has
reached its peak from a spiritual happiness index?
Reply
Henry Dankwa February 23, 2014
When people hear Africa they think of one big country, despite all of
its problems countries in Africa are progressing but you never see or hear of
that on the news, all you see or hear about is the wars,famine and corruption.
Most of these african countries barely gained independence in the
50s,60s and 70s but oh men they doing so well and I am proud of them
and and proud to be African.
I know that Africa will progress but it wont happen over time,we need all
those children that went to the Europes and Americas to further their to come
back and rebuild africa.
Africans are rich in happiness despite our struggles, we are always
laughing and smiling,shaking hands and never letting go, shouting on top of
our voices when excited, but only a few outsiders understand.
Reply
Franco October 28, 2014
we are indeed a happy people. many outsiders envy us for that and
some evil-minded ones try very hard to seize our happiness by putting us at
loggerheads. Just a lil bravery, Africa will rule the world
Afritorial (@Afritorial) October 13, 2012
A pretty face and fine clothes do not make character. ~ Congolese Proverb
(http://t.co/ToioifZg)
Reply
@geniuskamo October 13, 2012
http://t.co/FN4BNr0R
Reply
ecadet mwoma November 23, 2012
You have a new fan here in me, and I like your website, too. Very
distinctive. showing real and specific communication design goals.
Graci,
MichialT
Reply
jackson January 1, 2013
i love this and will love to have more on my email account cause i will be a
leader in a short while
Reply
@Chascritical January 2, 2013
Do you have an African proverb that extolls the values of the continents
businesses, cooperatives and http://t.co/S26A1zTi
Reply
Afritorial (@Afritorial) January 18, 2013
Weve added more proverbs to our much-loved post on Africa wise sayings
this time about wealth, money & poverty http://t.co/ToioifZg
Reply
Afritorial (@Afritorial) January 20, 2013
RT @Afritorial: The best: 72+ African wise proverbs and inspiring quotes
http://t.co/UgQA5E6b
Reply
@nanawireko February 2, 2013
RT @jabdulai: The best: 72+ African wise proverbs and inspiring quotes
http://t.co/5NGnQ3XY
Reply
Im proud to be an African
Reply
@RobGTheGeneral March 1, 2013
The best: 72+ African wise proverbs and inspiring quotes | AFRiTORIAL
http://t.co/RvGdt2xuHm
Reply
@Sun02shine April 19, 2013
Thanks Isaac. Were glad youve enjoyed them we hope that you now
live them :-)
The Team @ Afritorial.
Reply
kestine January 26, 2015
Awesome
Reply
ntlhari March 27, 2014
i love Africa
Reply
nellynel August 10, 2014
I really enjoy the proverbs.my own is,being far away from home makes you
home sick.
Reply
Jodemason August 17, 2014
great stuff, i have grown wise through these proverbs. Africa is the mother
of all wisdom.
Reply
Akunye Yaw September 5, 2014
I love this page. The quotes explain many things about us. It is amazing
how many of these ancient sayings are credited to people who never said
theand the lies continue. I appreciate this page and use its contents often.
Thank you
Reply
I just was put on to these quotes today by a good friend. Its so much
wisdom in each of these quotes. Now we know why Africa is the Mother and
Fathers of civilization. Keep spreading love and wisdom to the world. And I will
pay this forward. Thanks do much.
Reply
Charlie Kay December 17, 2014
Nat Turner
Reply
judy wanjiku January 14, 2015
i like African proverbs they teach us more!but how can i download this
proverbs??
Reply
I. E. JAMES March 10, 2015
with all this proverbs i hope i will grow into a true African
Reply
Wycliffe Johnson Odhiambo March 27, 2015
Educative proverbs
Reply
AMUDALA SATYANARAYANA April 24, 2015
I PRAY THE ALMIGHTY GOD TO SHOWER THE RAIN OF HIS LOVE THROUGH
OUT AFRICA
- AMUDALA SATYANARAYANA,
Reply
Albert Obuya April 27, 2015
Neva,
This is brilliant! Im really impressed. Please try airing your programs on TV.
Your content is wonderful. You make me really proud to be African. God bless!
Albert
Reply
Afritorial May 18, 2015
Neva
When you start presenting cultural programs on TV, please let me know so
that I can buy the latest HD camera. I will be a volunteer.
Albert
Reply
peter April 28, 2015
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