African Proverbs

"Life is a message – listen to it. Life is a belief – trust it. Life is a gift – accept it. Life is love – think about it. Life is an adventure – dare it." Northern Sotho proverb from South Africa

"Having little knowledge is like having your hands tied around your neck like a slave." Hausa proverb from Nigeria

"We dance, therefore we are." Unknown

"Genuine love and friendship is like hot charcoal that is covered by ashes; when you return back to it much later and poke it a little it is rekindled and reactivated anew." Ethiopian proverb

"One’s name remains above the grave." Ethiopian proverb

"An old man sitting on the ground sees something a child can't see even if he climbs a tree." Dagbani proverb

"Wisdom is attained at sixty; money is accumulated at thirty – if only the process could be reversed!" Ethiopian proverb

"The drums of war are the drums of hunger" South African proverb

"A night without roosters will still end." Burundi proverb

"If I have decided to love somebody, I oblige myself to be patient with him/her." Sumbwa Proverbs from Western Tanzania

"When they gossip about someone listen as if it were about you." Ethiopian proverb

"A bird cannot know where the sorghum is ready to eat unless it flies." Burundi proverb

"You can run quicker than an old man, but for his wiseness and his words you are behind." Sumbwa Proverbs from Western Tanzania

"Bees sting him who loves honey." Kuria Proverbs from Northwestern Tanzania

"To his hosts the incoming stranger first appeared like gold, then turned to silver and eventually ended up as crude iron." Ethiopian proverb

"When two elephants jostle, that which is hurt is the grass." Swahili proverb

"The owner of a cheerful heart will find his joy ever increasing." Swahili proverb

"The speaker of truth has no friends." Swahili proverb

"The "hurry-hurry" person eats goat; the one who takes his or her time (or hesitates) eats beef." Sesotho

"The last partridge to rise gets the most sticks thrown at it."Zulu proverb

"A child who is carried on the back will not know how far the journey is." Nigerian proverb

"When taken for granted, gold in one’s hand is sometimes considered like cheap copper – so are people." Ethiopian proverb

"When teeth bite the tongue, it is not the case of hatred." Chamba proverb from Nigeria

"A mother’s womb is technicolor; it gives birth to any kind and character of children." Ethiopian proverb

"A rope which is pulled for a long time, breaks." Kaonde Proverb

"As the chimp gets higher and higher climbing the tree it exposes its unflattering behind." Ethiopian proverb

"If you educate a woman, you have educated a population" Kiganda proverb

(from women24)