Malian Proverbs

Malian Proverbs echo Sahel life and the legacy of the Mali Empire. Griot storytelling and Niger River trade shape sayings about honor, community, patience, and survival in dry seasons.

A deaf man may not have heard the thunder but he surely will see the rain. (Malian Proverb)
A woman who offers sex to everyone will get kicked by everyone. View proverb
Malian Proverb
Life is like a ballet performance - danced only once. View proverb
Malian Proverb
Slowly but surely the excrement of foreign poets will come to your village. View proverb
Malian Proverb
The hyena chasing two antelopes at the same time will go to bed hungry. View proverb
Malian Proverb
You cannot wage war without the sound of gunpowder. View proverb
Malian Proverb
You must decide where you are going in the evening, if you intend to leave early in the morning. View proverb
Malian Proverb
You will never drown where you always take a bath. View proverb
Malian Proverb
When mosquitoes work, they bite and then they sing. View proverb
Malian Proverb
If you've nothing to do, dig a spinster's grave. View proverb
Malian Proverb
A turtle is not proud of his long neck. (Malian Proverb)
A man is what he thinks. View proverb
Malian Proverb
One does not give without a motive. View proverb
Malian Proverb
Do not try to cook the goat's young in the goat's milk. View proverb
Malian Proverb
The humble pay for the mistakes of their betters. View proverb
Malian Proverb
The bee forced into a beehive will not make any honey. View proverb
Malian Proverb