African Wise Sayings: 50 Proverbs From The African Home

One attribute of a typical African home is the speaking of proverbs during conversations. African proverbs are mostly expressed as euphemisms, sarcasm and also serves as counsel. Proverbs are used to illustrate ideas, reinforce arguments and deliver messages of inspiration, consolation, celebration and advice. There are several great African proverbs and fifty of them are compiled here for you to read and enjoy.

1. One falsehood spoils a thousand truths. ~ Ghanaian (Ashanti) Proverb
2. There is always a winner even in a monkey’s beauty contest. ~African Proverb
3. However far the stream flows, it never forgets its source. ~Nigerian Proverb
4. Ugliness with a good character is better than beauty. ~Nigerian Proverb
5. A child does not fear treading on dangerous ground until he or she gets hurt stumbles. ~Kenyan Proverb
6. Do not step on the dog’s tail, and he will not bite you. ~Cameroonian Proverb
7. If the wind blows, it enters every crevice. ~Egyptian Proverb
8. A chief is like a rubbish heap; everything comes to him. ~Malawian Proverb
9. Love never gets lost it’s only kept. ~African Proverb
10. The beauty of a woman becomes useless if there is no one to admire it. ~African Proverb
11. It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man. ~Ghanaian Proverb
12. You are beautiful because of your possessions. ~Baguirmi Proverb
13. A child points out to you the direction and then you find your way. ~Kenyan Proverb
14. Old age does not come in just one day. ~Nigerian Proverb
15. After a foolish deed comes remorse. ~Kenyan Proverb
16. The grasshopper which was killed by the locust must have been deaf. ~Igbo proverb
17. If one imitates the upright, one becomes upright; if one imitates the crooked, one becomes crooked. ~Nigerian Proverb
18. Away from home the girl picks forbidden fruit. ~Bantu Proverb
19. He who eats another mans food will have his own food eaten by others. ~Swahili Proverb
20. The big fish is caught with big bait. ~Sierra Leone
21. A woman who wants a child doesn’t sleep in her clothes. ~African Proverb
22. If those with horns cannot manage, what about those without them? ~Ugandan Proverb
23. One blind man cannot lead another ~Ugandan Proverb
24. Man is like pepper — you only know him when you’ve ground him. ~Nigerian Proverb
25. He who has named his child stop fighting does not make bullets. ~Ghanaian Proverb
26. Not to know is bad, not to wish to know is worse. ~Nigerian Proverb
27. What has defeated the elders’ court, take to the public ~Kenyan Proverb
28. The road doesn’t tell the traveler what lies ahead. ~Bantu Proverb
29. He who tells the truth is never wrong. ~Swahili Proverb
30. Hope does not disappoint. ~South African Proverb
31. When a king has good counselors, his reign is peaceful. ~Ghanaian Proverb
32. When my child and I have eaten — then clear the table. ~Moroccan Proverb
33. The foot has no nose ~Xhosa Proverb
34. If you take from the hill, it’ll shake. ~Egyptian Proverb
35. Only a monkey understands a monkey. ~Sierra Leone
36. It is better to be poor and live long than rich and die young. ~Masai Proverb
37. What forgets is the axe, but the tree that has been axed will never forget. ~Zimbabwean Proverb
38. He who pursues an innocent chicken always stumbles. ~Nigerian Proverb
39. For the sake of peace, hard decisions must be made. ~Tanzanian Proverb
40. He who waits for a chance may wait for a long time. ~Nigerian Proverb
41. No matter how long a log stays in the water, it doesn’t become a crocodile. ~Bambara Proverb
42. Live patiently in the world; know that those who hate you are more numerous than those who love you. ~African Proverb
43. A hundred aunts is not the same as one mother. ~Sierra Leone
44. Even if you dance for you enemy on the rock, he will accuse you of splashing water on him. ~African Proverb
45. If you have one finger pointing at somebody, you have three pointing towards yourself. ~Nigerian Proverb
46. If you are ugly, learn how to dance. ~Zambian Proverb
47. The stream may prevent you from crossing, but it cannot prevent you from retracting your steps. ~Hausa Proverb
48. By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed. ~Ashanti Proverb
49. No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. ~Guinean Proverb
50. A child who is carried on the back will not know how far the journey is. ~Nigerian Proverb

sammyhawkrad

Samuel Darkwah Manu is young man from Ghana currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST), Ghana. Samuel is passionate about blogging and is a social media enthusiast (popularly known as “sammyhawkrad”). Hobbies include listening to music (country, soul, RnB), playing FIFA and PES games, watching football and interacting on twitter.