[bSRAIGHT FROM BBC WEBSITE!!, i think this is interesting, so am sharing with y'all fellow Nlanders [/b]
Proverbs are an integral part of African culture.
Passed on from generation to generation for
centuries, they are still in wide use today and
are very much part of everyday speech.

Proverbs are used to illustrate ideas, reinforce
arguments and deliver messages of inspiration,
consolation, celebration and advice.
The great Nigerian author Chinua Achebe once
wrote: "Proverbs are the palm oil with which
words are eaten."


Please use the form at the end of this page to send
in your wise words.

Your proverbs from the last few months:

Wednesday 30 September
One does not tie a goat to another goat for one
to butt the other to death. A Yoruba proverb sent
by Prince Kola A Israel, Lagos, Nigeria.

Tuesday 29 September
Marriage is like a groundnut; you have to crack it
to see what is inside. An Akan proverb sent by
Christopher Baggu, Juba, South sudan.

Monday 28 September
The evil spirit of a man is a man. A Swahili
proverb sent by Laban Rotich, Eldoret, Kenya

Friday 25 September
An elephant which kills a rat is not a hero. Sent
by Deng Bol Deng Longar, Juba, South Sudan


Thursday 24 September
The heart of a fool is in his mouth and the
mouth of the wise man is in his heart. Sent by
Nati Kele, Ethiopia


Wednesday 23 September
If someone called "unclothedness" promises you a
piece of cloth, you should listen to his name.
Sent by Prince Baffour Awuah, Accra, Ghana


Tuesday 22 September
A newly arrived chicken stands on one leg in
their new home. An Igbo proverb sent by Nate,
Cologne, Germany


Monday 21 September
Only an experienced person climbs a slippery
tree. A Luhya proverb sent by Richard Muhambe,
Kitale, Kenya


Friday 18 September
A cow is a god with a wet nose. Sent by Thaela
Lefu, Maseru, Lesotho


Thursday 17 September
Even if a hen is very poor, it will not lay black
eggs. Sent by Anhiem Mayhan Makeer, Juba,
South Sudan


Wednesday 16 September
Old and new millet seeds end up in the same
mill. An Acholi proverb sent by Okello Samuel,
Gulu, Uganda


Tuesday 15 September
When the blanket is short you sleep with bended
legs. Sent by Akenji Gibbons, Bamenda,
Cameroon


Monday 14 September
Use your tongue to count your teeth before you
speak. An Igbo proverb sent by Uche Duru,
London, UK


Friday 11 September
Don't let others prepare for you the camel
needed to fetch water if they will not take that
camel to the well. A Somali proverb sent by Ali
Ahmed, Kenya


Thursday 10 September
If you look at your child, you will see his
questions before you hear them. Sent by Yvon
Atsiba, Quebec, Canada


Wednesday 9 September
If you can bring yourself to eat a person's head,
you don't have to be afraid to eat the dirt in the
eyes. A Kono proverb sent by Jimissa, Freetown,
Sierra Leone


Tuesday 8 September
Killing a rat that is holed up inside an earthen
pot requires wisdom. An Esan proverb from
Nigeria sent by Eugene Ogbomon, Lovejoy, US


Monday 7 September
A bad wound heals, but a bad word doesn't. An
Oromo proverb sent by Samuel Fekadu, Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia


Friday 4 September
A deceiver never prospers. A Somali proverb
sent by Hussein Mohamud, Nashville, US


Thursday 3 September
If you sell your father's land to buy a trumpet
where will you stand to blow it? Sent by Moussa
Kourouma, N'zerekore, Guinea, and Anye Anye,
Bamenda, Cameroon


Wednesday 2 September
It is trouble that makes a monkey eat pepper. A
Krio proverb from Sierra Leone sent by
Sigismond Wilson, Oklahoma, US


Tuesday 1 September
Though the bat may hang its head downwards, it
is fully aware of the way the birds fly. A Yoruba
proverb sent by Aremo Chris, Abule Egba, Ogun,
Nigeria


Monday 31 August
Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together. An
Ashanti proverb sent by Frank Osei Kwabena
Asamoah, Obuasi, Ghana


Friday 28 August
Restless feet may walk into a snake pit. Sent by
Nganje Cheryl, Mannheim, Germany


Thursday 27 August
A united family eats from the same plate. Sent
by Kasozi George, Kampala, Uganda


Wednesday 26 August
The winged termite can only fly for a while; it
will eventually become food for the frog. Sent by
Wise-Williams, Nigeria


Tuesday 25 August
He who earns calamity eats it with his family. A
Swahili proverb sent by Martin Manyiel Wugol,
Aweil, South Sudan


Monday 24 August
The hare is small but it begets twins. A Luo
proverb sent by Owino Onyango Mak'Oburu,
Kenya


Friday 21 August
If the hunter comes back with mushrooms, don't
ask him how his hunt was. A Ghanaian proverb
sent by Okwir Daniel, Lira, Uganda


Thursday 20 August
Never praise a person for their beauty but rather
for their actions. A Kisii proverb sent by Daniel
Osiemo Ondiere, Kisumu, Kenya


Wednesday 19 August
He who thinks he is leading and has no one
following him is only taking a walk. A Malawian
proverb sent by Souplex, Buea, Cameroon


Tuesday 18 August
The inquisitive monkey gets a bullet in the face.
An Igbo proverb sent by Afam Ejidike, Aberdeen,
UK


Monday 17 August
Only the knife knows what is in the heart of the
coco-yam. A proverb from Cameroon sent by
Fwangwe Wubai Ndula


Friday 14 August
A container is filled little by little. A Swahili
proverb sent by Sameer Yusuf, Wembley, London


Thursday 13 August
If you give bad food to your stomach, it drums
for you to dance. Sent by Usman Al-Amin, Nguru,
Nigeria


Wednesday 12 August
You cannot hide the smoke when a house is
burning. A Kirundi proverb sent by Jean Baptiste
Niyongabo, Bujumbura, Burundi


Tuesday 11 August
A millipede will not limp because of one missing
leg. A Somali proverb sent by Abdishukri
Mohamed, Wajir, Kenya


Monday 10 August
He who wants to taste the honey in a rock
should not worry about the edge of his axe. A
Yoruba proverb sent by Aderopo Adesola,
Saskatoon, Canada


Friday 7 August
A bull that's already pinned to the ground does
not resist the branding iron. A Meru proverb sent
by Paul Kinoti, Mombasa, Kenya


Thursday 6 August
If you see a person in a gown eating with a
person in rags, the food belongs to the latter.
Sent by Weluzani Banda, Zambia


Wednesday 5 August
It is the calm and silent water that drowns a
man. Sent by Raymond Adjei Opoku, Accra,
Ghana


Tuesday 4 August
The forest that does not like baskets should not
grow mushrooms. An Igbo proverb sent by Ibru
Ibeabuchi, Umuahia Ibeku, Nigeria


Monday 3 August
Too many whistles confuse the dog. A Swahili
proverb sent by Mudenda Sipho Bulando,
Livingstone, Zambia


Friday 31 July
A bird that chooses to perch on a rope should be
ready to dance with the rope. Sent by Emmanuel
Ukaegbu, Chester, UK


Thursday 30 July
When a leopard is chasing you, do not ask if it is
male or female. A Temne proverb from Sierra
Leone sent by Ibn Jamel, London, UK


Wednesday 29 July
The papaya tree which bears sweet fruit always
has a stick under it. An Akan proverb sent by
Kwabens Kankam Boakye, Kumasi, Ghana


Tuesday 28 July
Whatever the type of firewood found in a place,
it is usually good enough for the people of that
place to cook with. An Igbo proverb sent by
Chukwuemeka Ekere, Calabar, Nigeria


Monday 27 July
Hands wash each other. A Zulu and Swahili
proverb sent by Steve Mazinga, St Francis Bay,
South Africa


Friday 24 July
The earliest cow to the creek drinks clean water.
A Luyana/Lozi proverb sent by Mulako Sianga,
Kitwe, Zambia


Thursday 23 July
If one fish in the basket rots, they all rot. Sent
by Deus Zakalia Mahlati Gondwe, Mzuzu, Malawi


Wednesday 22 July
The person whose father received a bullet in the
head uses an iron pot as a helmet. An Igbo
proverb sent by Chukwuebuka Bigseed Okafor,
Awka, Nigeria


Tuesday 21 July
The family's oil is not for rubbing into the skin of
strangers. A Kikuyu proverb sent by Paul
Mbugua, Nairobi, Kenya


Monday 20 July
A frog does not jump backwards. Sent by Sunday
Nyeleti, Lusaka, Zambia, and Idua Olunwa, Dallas,
US


Friday 17 July
No matter how skilfully the chick dances, it will
never please the hawk. Sent by Nyaku Selom &
Julian Dzikunu from Ghana, and Albert Damptey-
Boakye, Norway


Thursday 16 July
The skin of the leopard is beautiful, but not its
heart. A Baluba proverb sent by Sydney K
Mmanga, Blantyre, Malawi



Wednesday 15 July
Ears are beggars; they gather all they get hold
of. A Bemba proverb sent by Kalunga Yoshua,
Zambia


Tuesday 14 July
You do not look for a person wearing white cloth
where the palm-oil maker works. A Yoruba
proverb sent by Mohammed Hammed
Olanrewaju, Abeokuta, Nigeria


Monday 13 July
Where a horse is absent, a donkey appears. An
Oromo proverb sent by Chala Dejenu, Finfine,
Oromia, Ethiopia


Friday 10 July
If you carry a hyena on your back, dogs will bark
at you. A Wolof proverb sent by Pa Sallah
Drammeh, Banjul, The Gambia


Thursday 9 July
An ox hide must be folded to a shape one wants
while it is still fresh. An Ndebele proverb from
Zimbabwe sent by Thoman Sikowelo,
Johannesburg, South Africa


Wednesday 8 July
Mine is different from ours. An Igala proverb
sent by Sani Adamu, Jos, Nigeria, and Christy
Etim Esin, Atlanta, US


Tuesday 7 July
It's preferable to fight with a friend than to cheat
him. An Oromo proverb sent by Berhanmeskel,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia



Monday 6 July
Good news is the ears' favourite dish. An Ewe
proverb sent by James Agblevor, Accra, Ghana


Tuesday 30 June
Do not fight for a guinea fowl that has been
caught in someone else's net. An Acholi proverb
sent by Martin Okwir, Lira, Uganda


Monday 29 June
The stomach that contains truth cannot be
pierced even with a knife. A Hausa proverb sent
by Kyomson, Prague, The Czech Republic


Friday 26 June
One frog can ruin everyone's water. A Luo
proverb sent by Ronald Ogwal, Uganda


Thursday 25 June
Unexpected rainfall allows goats and sheep to
seek shelter under the same roof. Sent by
Henson King, Monrovia, Liberia


Wednesday 24 June
Twenty friends will not continue hanging out for
20 years. A Yoruba proverb sent by Wale
Adejuyigbe, Kent, The UK


Tuesday 23 June
A man's beauty is judged by the number of cows
he owns. A Zulu proverb sent by Bruce Sithole,
Durban, South Africa


Monday 22 June
Rushing is not the best way to start a fire. A
Ugandan proverb sent by Ken, London, The UK


Friday 19 June
Do not compete with an elephant when it comes
to passing stools. A Swahili proverb sent by
Roland Ebole, Nairobi, Kenya


Thursday 18 June
The fork on the road made the hyena miss the
party. A Lango proverb sent by Patrick Odongo,
Kitgum, Uganda


Wednesday 17 June
He who burnt in a fire always fears ashes. A
Somali proverb sent by Young Mohadish Salad,
Port Elizabeth, South Africa


Tuesday 16 June
One does not count the fingers of nine-fingered
person in his or her presence. A Yoruba proverb
sent by Abimbola Oladiran, Jos, Nigeria


Monday 15 June
You should not sleep outside just because
someone else did it and was lucky. A Tonga
proverb sent by Peter Mulekwa Gotola, Lusaka,
Zambia


Friday 12 June
When they wish to eat a vulture, they call it a
guinea fowl. An Ethiopian proverb sent by Yibekal
Abebe Tessema, Zurich, Swizerland


Thursday 11 June
If you see someone who is afraid of being
identified, he is guilty of something. A Hausa
proverb sent by Safynaz Isabelle Cisse, London,
The UK


Wednesday 10 June
A wise visitor leaves firewood behind. A Tonga
proverb sent by Moses, Choma, Zambia


Tuesday 9 June
The forest yields when you are tired. A Shona
proverb sent by Kudzai Makomva, Harare,
Zimbabwe


Monday 8 June
A single palm kernel does not get lost in the fire.
An Igbo proverb from Nigeria sent by Obi
Ozonzeadi, London, The UK


Friday 5 June
A horse may take you to the battlefield, but it
will not fight for you. An Amharic proverb from
Ethiopia sent by Abebe Mekuria, Woodbridge,
Canada


Thursday 4 June
A dish which is going to be tasty will smell good
when it boils. A Wolof proverb sent by Coura
Fall, Dakar, Senegal


Wednesday 3 June
Someone who talks about a wound talks about a
wound that he has had before. A Tonga proverb
sent by Peter Mulekwa Gotola, Lusaka, Zambia


Tuesday 2 June
Bad counsel may cause you to fall into an abyss.
A Somali proverb sent by Abshir Fire Cadde,
Nelspruit, South Africa


Monday 1 June
When a mother elephant blows its trumpet, the
baby elephant stays quiet. A Yoruba proverb
from Nigeria sent by Collins Fadare, London, UK



ADD YOURS

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-18930368