Wisdom really is wealth! There are many African proverbs our ancestors have handed down to us, that gets us thinking hard about life. While some of our leaders may have forgotten them, the rest of us don’t need to.
It’s good to know the wise African proverbs because you hear them come up in conversations sometimes. Mostly the elderly people in the African society say these proverbs to give advice and also inspire others.
From prudent sayings on wisdom itself, to judicious encouragements, warnings and even quirky advice on learning, patience, unity, wealth, poverty, community, family, love and marriage.
These proverbs can also help you to understand the way that people in African cultures think about the world and would inspire you to be the best you can possibly be as we all start another blessed week.
- He that beats the drum for the mad man to dance is no better than the mad man himself. — African proverb
- Better little than too little. — Cameroonian proverb
- An intelligent enemy is better than a stupid friend. — Senegalese proverb
- The young bird does not crow until it hears the old ones. — Tswana proverb
- Where you will sit when you are old shows where you stood in youth. — Yoruba proverb
- When the roots of a tree begin to decay, it spreads death to the branches. — Nigerian proverb
- It is crooked wood that shows the best sculptor. — African proverb
- One who bathes willingly with cold water doesn’t feel the cold. — Fipa proverb
- Be a mountain or lean on one. — Somali proverb
- If you are building a house and a nail breaks, do you stop building or do you change the nail? — Rwandan proverb
- We desire to bequeath two things to our children; the first one is roots, the other one is wings. — Sudanese proverb
- No matter how many times you wash a goat it will still smell like a goat — Ethiopia
