The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;

3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;

4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—

5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—

6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

I'm relating select bible quotes, with commensurate ones found in various cultures.

this is from a thread in politics section, not sure of the ethnicity of the poster:

When a rat follows lizard to jump into water, if d water on d lizard dries up, dat of d rat remain.

Proverbs 1:


My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.

11 If they say, “Come along with us;
let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,
let’s ambush some harmless soul;

12 let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

13 we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;

14 cast lots with us;
we will all share the loot”—

15 my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;

16 for their feet rush into evil,
they are swift to shed blood.

17 How useless to spread a net
where every bird can see it!

18 These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush only themselves!

19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the life of those who get it.

proverbs 2:

My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,

2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—

3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,

4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,

5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.

6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.







Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,

13 who have left the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,

14 who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,

15 whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.

chinese proverb

Not Only Can Water Float A Boat, It Can Sink It Also

Good thread but GREATER THAN SOLOMON IS HERE NOW. There's MANIFOLD wisdom in Christ than Solomon. Think about that!

irish proverb:

[some] Women do not drink liquor but it disappears when they are present.

more

The well fed does not understand the lean.

It is not a secret if it is known to three people.

A lock is better than suspicion.

The steed does not retain its speed forever.

proverbs 11:

Whoever seeks good finds favor,
but evil comes to one who searches for it.

28 Those who trust in their riches will fall,
but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and the one who is wise saves lives.

31 If the righteous receive their due on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

jamaican proverb:

"What sweet nanny goat a go run him belly"

means: What tastes good to a goat will ruin his belly. In other words - the things that seem good to you now, can hurt you later..

tpia@'s proverb [somewhere in romance section]:

beware of chasing what will eventually chase you.

proverbs 11:


22. Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

ijaw proverbs:

He who has not sat on the marital stool does not know the problems of marriage.

It is only when the fishing gear is broken that one hears its wonderful performance.

A man who thinks everything around him is sweet should remember that bitter leaves grow in the bush with oranges.

A wise fish knows that a beautiful worm that looks so easy to swallow has a sharp hook attached to it.

proverbs 12:

10 The righteous care for the needs of their animals,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

11 Those who work their land will have abundant food,
but those who chase fantasies have no sense.




26 The righteous choose their friends carefully,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

more ijaw proverbs:

If the fish had learnt to shut its mouth, the hook would never have caught it.

The cock says that if it had not learnt to crow, it would not have made a feast for the late night traveler.

Our people say he who throws a palmful of ash receives it back.

Our people say when you are talking under a tree the branches hear too.

proverbs 13


2 From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things,
but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.

3 Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,
but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.

yoruba proverbs:

We scoop water from the water pot and see a masquerader; what will the person who goes to draw water at the river find?

(If a person exposed to minimal risk cries disaster, what would the person exposed to much greater risk do?)

You are given yams at oyo and you rejoice; have you secured wood to cook them?

(Never assume that a propitious beginning assures a successful conclusion.)

One struggles to save the chick from certain death, and it complains that one is preventing it from foraging at the dump.

(Chicks foraging at the dump are easy prey for kites [hawks].)

The needle makes an almost inaudible sound when it drops into the water; odofin said he heard a loud splash.

(Excessive exaggeration amounts to lying.)

The dove recites incantations, thinking that the pigeon cannot hear; the pigeon hears; it is only pretending to sleep.

(Never mistake a person's easygoing demeanor for cowardice or folly.)

proverbs 13:


7 One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;

another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

more yoruba proverbs:

A scorpion stung Kindo in the testicle, and a person from Labata's household frowns in dismay; what business is it of his?

(One should not take on matters that are not one's business.)

She who borrows a wrapper-skirt to wear is not home free; the owner of the cloth will take it back come tomorrow.

(There is nothing like having one's own.)

The visitor who arrived at the home of Pongila (Lickwood), Pongila asked him, Who are you? The visitor replied, I am Bugije (Bitewood). Pongila said, Well, you had better go find yourself some wood elsewhere.

(Do not encourage people to take advantage of you or abuse your generosity.)

Going from one sad thought to another results in endless weeping; the person weeping does his weeping and departs.

(If one keeps thinking sad thoughts one will ever remain miserable; if one must be sad, one must observe some limits.)

The kite plays with the pigeon and the pigeon rejoices; the pigeon is courting death.

(An enemy who pretends friendship is so much more dangerous.)

If a single Colubus monkey sees you, be sure that two hundred of them have seen you.

(A secret that one discloses to one person is as good as published for all.)

sources:

the bible

the woyingi blog


jamaican (angelfire.com)

oriental outpost

the irish path

yoruba: The Good Person- excerpts from the Yoruba proverb treasury.

Mehn!!, I'm loving these yoruba proverbs. Well done tpi@