African Proverbs

African Proverbs draw on ancient oral traditions across many peoples, from griots to village elders. They praise community, respect for nature, and survival through drought, trade routes, and changing empires.

No matter how beautiful and well crafted a coffin might look, it will not make anyone wish for death. (African Proverb)
A lie can annihilate a thousand truths. View proverb
African Proverb
It is no shame at all to work for money. View proverb
African Proverb
The path is made by walking. View proverb
African Proverb
Call a cat a cat. View proverb
African Proverb
The words of the elders do not lock all the doors, they leave the right door open. View proverb
African Proverb
No one tests the depth of a river with both feet. View proverb
African Proverb
The monkey and gorilla may claim kinship, but the monkey is a monkey and the gorilla is a gorilla. View proverb
African Proverb
Milk and honey have different colours, but they share the same house peacefully. View proverb
African Proverb
Not to know is bad, not to wish to know is worse. View proverb
African Proverb
Whatever accomplishment you boast of in the world, there is someone better than you. (African Proverb)
Everybody has been young before, but not everybody has been old before. View proverb
African Proverb
However long the night, the dawn will always break. View proverb
African Proverb
Those who wear pearls do not know how often the shark bites the leg of the diver. View proverb
African Proverb
A lie has many variations, the truth none. View proverb
African Proverb
I pointed out the stars and moon to you, but all you saw was the tip of my finger. View proverb
African Proverb
The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did. View proverb
African Proverb
The tongue can ruin a person, and the tongue can save them. View proverb
African Proverb
Birds sing not because they have answers but because they have songs. View proverb
African Proverb
The radiant and well-understood speech of one person is better than the speech of a thousand people that is not. View proverb
African Proverb
No matter how many house chores you complete, there are always more to be done. (African Proverb)
You can outrun what is running after you, but not what is running inside of you. View proverb
African Proverb
Judge not your beauty by the number of people who look at you, but rather by the number of people who smile at you. View proverb
African Proverb
Do not try to fight a lion if you are not one yourself. View proverb
African Proverb
God conceals himself from the mind of man, but reveals himself to his heart. View proverb
African Proverb