Bambara Proverbs

Bambara Proverbs distill Mali’s Mande wisdom from the old Bamana Empire and village life along the Niger. They prize elders, hard work, and harmony, using earthy images from millet fields, cattle, and the calabash.

When you chop off a snake's head all you are left with is a piece of rope. (Bambara Proverb)
When you get older you keep warm with the wood you gathered as a youth. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
Even in the freshest of milk, you will still find hairs. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
God provides for the blind vulture. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
He who longs too much for a child will marry a pregnant woman. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
No matter how long a log floats on the river, it will never be a crocodile. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
No matter how much the world changes, cats will never lay eggs. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
The child who loves freedom is the first victim of it. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
The kitchen is older than the mosque. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
The word of a powerful man is the truth. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
There is no mother like your own mother. (Bambara Proverb)
I have to learn how to walk on three legs says the hyena for when I am old. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
He who has a boss is not the master of his burden. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
God gives nothing to those who keep their arms crossed. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
A long beard and a rosary will not make you a priest. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
No matter how many chores you finish in your house, there is always yet more to be done. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
If the hare is your enemy, admit that he can run fast. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
The motherless child will suckle the grandmother. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
The hare and the elephant don't travel well together. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
Do not walk in God's ways on someone else's behalf. View proverb
Bambara Proverb
Beware of the goat that is in the lion's lair. (Bambara Proverb)
A pregnant woman is not afraid if you threaten her with what you made her pregnant with. View proverb
Bambara Proverb