Benin Proverbs

Benin Proverbs preserve West African wisdom shaped by the old Kingdom of Dahomey and Vodun traditions. They value community, respect for elders, clever speech, and the balance between fate and hard work.

Blacksmiths and woodworkers will never suffer from poverty. (Benin Proverb)
When the mouse laughs at the car, there is a hole nearby. View proverb
Benin Proverb
Fear a silent man. He has lips like a drum. View proverb
Benin Proverb
There is no god like one's stomach; we must sacrifice to it every day. View proverb
Benin Proverb
Words are like spears: once they leave your lips they can never come back. View proverb
Benin Proverb
Anyone who plants a tree before they die has not lived in vain. View proverb
Benin Proverb
The world is a journey, the afterworld is home. View proverb
Benin Proverb
We can only speak the truth when we turn off the light. View proverb
Benin Proverb
Anyone who sees beauty and does not look at it will soon be poor. View proverb
Benin Proverb
Every one has his place: the dead in the cemetery and the living at the table. View proverb
Benin Proverb
Who throws stones at night, kills his own brother. (Benin Proverb)
The misfortune that comes into town does not wear a turban. View proverb
Benin Proverb
The tortoise is friends with the snail: those with shells keep their shells close together. View proverb
Benin Proverb
A great affair covers up a small matter. View proverb
Benin Proverb
Silence is an attribute of the dead; he who is alive speaks. View proverb
Benin Proverb
What you give you get, ten times over. View proverb
Benin Proverb
The young cannot teach tradition to the old. View proverb
Benin Proverb
Before you ask a man for clothes, look at the clothes that he is wearing. View proverb
Benin Proverb
Many words do not fill a basket. View proverb
Benin Proverb
Fear a silent man. View proverb
Benin Proverb