Tswana Proverbs

Tswana proverbs echo life on the Kalahari edge and the cattle posts. Shaped by the kgotla tradition of public debate, they prize respect, unity, and practical judgment.

You can't keep a bull in the kraal. (Tswana Proverb)
Eating without sharing is like swearing with your mouth. View proverb
Tswana Proverb
Eyes can see widely: they can cross a river in full flood. View proverb
Tswana Proverb
Famine hides under the granary. View proverb
Tswana Proverb
He who offended forgets, but he who suffered from the offense does not. View proverb
Tswana Proverb
If you are too smart to pay the doctor, you had better be too smart to get sick. View proverb
Tswana Proverb
Plenty is like the mist. View proverb
Tswana Proverb
The mother is she who catches the knife by the blade. View proverb
Tswana Proverb
The quick one may not win; the enduring one will. View proverb
Tswana Proverb
To give away is to make provision for the future. View proverb
Tswana Proverb
To kiss the child is to kiss the mother. (Tswana Proverb)
To travel is to see. View proverb
Tswana Proverb
We are people because of other people. View proverb
Tswana Proverb
What is seen is seen by all. View proverb
Tswana Proverb
The cripple is fair in its mother's eyes. View proverb
Tswana Proverb