Proverbial Wisdom from Africa. A short list of some traditional African wise sayings and proverbs for everyday life. In these proverbs are some hidden treasures of wisdom and common sense. Enjoy!
It takes a whole village to raise a child. ~African Proverb (“Ora na azu nwa” from Igbo, Nigeria)
If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for something. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
A proud heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
Don’t set sail on someone else’s star. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
To try and to fail is not laziness. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
He who learns, teaches. ~African Proverb (Sometimes attributed to the Ethiopians otherwise classified under unknown African source)
It is not work that kills, but worry. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
Lack of knowledge is darker than night. ~African Proverb (Hausa, Nigeria)
One must talk little and listen much. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
Knowledge is like a garden: If it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
Rain does not fall on one roof alone. ~African Proverb (Cameroon, West Africa)
When God cooks, you don’t see smoke. ~African Proverb (“Kuteka Lesa ke kumweka bwishi ne.” from Kaonde, Zambia)
One falsehood spoils a thousand truths. ~African Proverb (Ashanti, Ghana)
Do not call the forest that shelters you a jungle. ~African Proverb (Ashanti, Ghana)
Ashes fly back into the face of him who throws them. ~African Proverb (Nigerian)
The path is made by walking. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
He who forgives ends the argument. ~African Proverb (Unknown African source)
A bad name is like a stigma. ~African Proverb (South Sotho, South Africa)
A close friend can become a close enemy. ~African Proverb (Ethiopian)
Do not say the first thing that comes to your mind. ~African Proverb (Kenyan)