2049 African Proverbs / Page 81
1601.
The voices of the ancestors are the voices of the gods.1602.
The water can only flow thanks to the well.1603.
The water in your well can be very hot, but it will never cook your rice.1604.
The way a cat walks is not the way it catches a rat.1605.
The wealth of the greedy ultimately goes to the community.1606.
The weed that grows by the riverbank will not suffer the effect of draught.1607.
The white ant is small but it creates the great anthill.1608.
The wind does not break a tree that can bend.1609.
The wind helps those without an axe to cut wood.1610.
The wind that carried the mortar will not fail to carry the pestle.1611.
The wise create proverbs for fools to learn, not to repeat.1612.
The wise man is father of the fool.1613.
The wise traveler leaves his heart at home.1614.
The witness of a rat is another rat.1615.
The womb is not a boat, it cannot carry as much as a boat.1616.
The word "yes" brings trouble; the word "no" leads to no evil.1617.
The words of the elders do not lock all the doors, they leave the right door open.1618.
The words of the wise become sweet the day after.1619.
The words you say to tell the truth are as important as the decision to be truthful.1620.
The world about us.