
African proverbs on Learning
- Learning expands great souls. ~ Namibian proverb
- To get lost is to learn the way. ~ African proverb
- If you close your eyes to facts, you will learn through accidents. ~ African proverb
- By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree. ~ Buganda 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
- By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed. ~Ashanti 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 he’s welcome he stays for the night; if not, he leaves the same day. ~Malagasy Proverb
African proverbs on Peace & Leadership
- A fight between grasshoppers is a joy to the crow. ~ Lesotho proverb
- Milk and honey have different colors, but they share the same house peacefully. ~ African proverb
- He who thinks he is leading and has no one following him is only taking a walk. ~ Malawian proverb
- An army of sheep led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by a sheep. ~ Ghanaian proverb
- He who is destined for power does not have to fight for it. ~ Ugandan proverb
- Do not forget what is to be a sailor because of being a captain yourself. ~ Tanzanian proverb
- He who fears the sun will not become chief. ~Ugandan proverb
- Because he lost his reputation, he lost a kingdom. ~ Ethiopian proverb
African proverbs on Unity & Community
- Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable. ~ Bondei proverb
- It takes a village to raise a child. ~ African proverb
- Cross the river in a crowd and the crocodile won’t eat you. ~ African proverb
- Two ants do not fail to pull one grasshopper. ~ Tanzanian proverb
- A single bracelet does not jingle. ~ Congolese proverb
- A single stick may smoke, but it will not burn. ~ African proverb
African proverbs on Family
- If I am in harmony with my family, that’s success. ~ Ute proverb
- Dine with a stranger but save your love for your family. ~ Ethiopian proverb
- Home affairs are not talked about on the public square. ~ African proverb
African proverbs on Friendship
- A friend is someone you share the path with. ~ African proverb
- Show me your friend and I will show you your character. ~ African proverb
- Return to old watering holes for more than water; friends and dreams are there to meet you. ~ African proverb
- Between true friends even water drunk together is sweet enough. ~ African proverb
- Bad friends will prevent you from having good friends. ~ Gabon proverb
African proverbs on Beauty
- If there is character, ugliness becomes beauty; if there is none, beauty becomes ugliness. ~Nigerian 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
- 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
- Three things cause sorrow to flee; water, green trees, and a beautiful face. ~Moroccan Proverb
- A pretty face and fine clothes do not make character. ~Congolese Proverb
- A pretty basket does not prevent worries. ~Congolese Proverb
- It’s 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 chicken with beautiful plumage does not sit in a corner. ~African Proverb
- There is always a winner even in a monkey’s beauty contest. ~African Proverb
- Dress up a stick and it’ll be a beautiful bride. ~Egyptian 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 woman’s polite devotion is her greatest beauty. ~African Proverb
- If you find “Miss This Year” beautiful, then you’ll find “Miss Next Year” even more so. ~Nigerian Proverb
African proverbs on Love & Marriage
- 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
- Marriage is like a groundnut; you have to crack it to see what is inside. ~ Ghanaian proverb
- If the full moon loves you, why worry about the stars? ~ Ghanaian proverb
African proverbs on Patience
- Hurry, hurry has no blessings. ~ Swahili proverb
- Patience is the mother of a beautiful child. ~ Bantu proverb
- To run is not necessarily to arrive. ~ Swahili proverb
- Patience can cook a stone. ~ African proverb
- A patient man will eat ripe fruit. ~ African proverb
- At the bottom of patience one finds heaven. ~ African proverb
- A patient person never misses a thing. ~ Swahili proverb
- Patience attracts happiness; it brings near that which is far. ~ Swahili proverb
- Always being in a hurry does not prevent death, neither does going slowly prevent living. ~ Ibo proverb
- However long the night, the dawn will break. ~ African proverb (personal favourite!)
African proverbs on Wealth, Riches, Money & Poverty
- The wealth which enslaves the owner isn’t wealth. ~ Yoruba
- Having a good discussion is like having riches ~ Kenya
- Do not let what you cannot do tear from your hands what you can. ~ Ashanti
African proverbs on Food
- 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 neighbour’s will not satisfy your hunger. ~Bayaka Proverb
- Food you will not eat you do not boil. ~African 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
- Eat when the food is ready; speak when the time is right. ~Ethiopian Proverb
- The forest provides food to the hunter after he is utterly exhausted. ~Zimbabwean Proverb
- Fine words do not produce food. ~Nigerian Proverb
- If you watch your pot, your food will not burn. ~Mauritanian, Nigerian, and Niger Proverb
- A spider’s cobweb isn’t only its sleeping spring but also its food trap. ~African Proverb
- Man is like a pepper, till you have chewed it you do not know how hot it is. ~Haussa Proverb
- When the food is cooked there is no need to wait before eating it. ~Kikuyu Proverb
- Words are sweet, but they never take the place of food. ~Ibo Proverb
- A healthy person who begs for food is an insult to a generous farmer. ~Ghanaian Proverb
- Don’t take another mouthful before you have swallowed what is in your mouth. ~Malagasy Proverb
- The grasshopper which is always near its mother eats the best food. ~Ghanaian Proverb
- The chicken that digs for food will not sleep hungry. ~Bayombe Proverb
Lions without team work can’t kill even an injured buffalo..Sepedi proverbs