Zanzibar Proverbs

Zanzibar Proverbs echo Swahili wisdom shaped by Indian Ocean trade and the era of the Omani sultanate. They prize hospitality, patience, and sharp speech where sailors, spices, and faith meet.

A fruit tree that grows in a dung heap will certainly blossom. (Zanzibar Proverb)
A man without a wife is a man without a house. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
Foam will always find its way to the shore. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
No matter how fast moonlight runs, daylight catches up. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
The bigger the pot the more rice will stick to it. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
The bucket goes down the well every day - some day it won't come up again. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
The death throes of an elephant are not so annoying as a living flea. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
Time is longer than a rope. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
Unless you know the road you've come down, you won't know where you are going. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
Willing is a good man, but able is a better one. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
Women and glass are always in danger. (Zanzibar Proverb)
Never pick up what you didn't put down. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
A baby that does not cry will die on its mother's back. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
If you think your bundle of dirty clothes is too heavy, try picking up your neighbor's. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
A gentle breeze blowing in the right direction is better than a pair of strong oars. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
An empty sack can't stand up; a full sack cannot bend. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
There is reason in the roasting of eggs. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
When you play the flute in zanzibar all africa dances. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
Maybe my canoe is bigger than yours, but the sea is the same. If there are no fish, we both go hungry. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
A monkey that pilfers from a widow's larder must not be admonished. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
If you are ugly, learn how to dance. (Zanzibar Proverb)
If you have no teeth, do not break the clay cooking pot. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb
A madman drops a stone in a well, but forty wise men cannot take it out. View proverb
Zanzibar Proverb