Swahili Proverbs

Swahili Proverbs come from East Africa’s Indian Ocean coast, shaped by dhow trade and a meeting of African and Arab worlds. They value harmony, patience, and clever speech, guiding life from village to port.

That is fashionable in town is never prohibited. (Swahili Proverb)
He who boasts of his ancestry unduly will bring plenty of trouble upon himself. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
A distant fire does not burn. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
Aiming isn't hitting. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
Two crocodiles cannot agree. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
Death is blind. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
If the hyena eats the sick man, he will eat the whole one. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
Don't plant a seed in the sea. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
A fly does not mind dying in coconut cream. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
You can not know the extent of water in a pond that you have never been to. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
You canot know the bugs of a bed that you have not lain on. (Swahili Proverb)
A bad brother is far better than no brother. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
A dancer will not become crippled for dancing calls for grace. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
A person does not objects to being called, he objects to what he is called for. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
A pit of the tongue cannot be covered up by the hand. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
A poor man does not pick up things if does they say he stole them. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
A por man with his child a rich man with his wealth. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
When you are eating with a blind man, do not touch his hand. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
When you go among one-eyed people, put out your own eye. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
When your Companion is being shaved, put water. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
Where it slopes down is where it slopes up. (Swahili Proverb)
Where there are experts there will be no lack ot learners. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
Where there are many there is much. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
A single hand can not nurse a child. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
A sinking vessel needs no navigation. View proverb
Swahili Proverb
More Swahili Wisdom in Wikiquote