African proverbs are powerful vessels of wisdom passed down through generations. Rooted in the oral traditions of communities across the continent, these timeless sayings reflect the values, beliefs, and everyday experiences of diverse African cultures. From the forests of Ghana to the deserts of Morocco, from the valleys of Ethiopia to the savannahs of Nigeria, these proverbs speak universal truths about life, relationships, leadership, humility, and perseverance.
In this curated collection of 255 African proverbs, you will discover the rich philosophical insights of peoples such as the Yoruba, Akan, Zulu, Hausa, Fulani, Igbo, Kikuyu, and many more. These short yet profound expressions continue to guide behaviour, resolve conflict, and educate both young and old in African societies.
Whether you are a student of African heritage, a storyteller, a teacher, or simply someone seeking inspiration, these proverbs offer a window into traditional African knowledge systems — where wisdom is not only spoken but lived.
Each proverb in this list includes its tribal or cultural origin, making it a valuable educational resource for understanding Africa’s linguistic and cultural diversity. Many of these proverbs have equivalents in other parts of the world, revealing how deeply connected human wisdom is across geography and time.
So whether you’re searching for a proverb about patience, a quote on humility, or a timeless African saying about family or truth, you’ll find insight, clarity, and cultural richness in the words that follow.
Proverb: Many beads form one necklace.
Origin: Fang, Gabon
Proverb: A good action reaps another.
Origin: Ndau, Mozambique
Proverb: Silence is also a form of speech.
Origin: Fulani, Burkina Faso
Proverb: Respect yourself, you will get it back.
Origin: Arabic, Tunisia
Proverb: By coming and going, a bird weaves its nest.
Origin: Ashanti, Ghana
Proverb: Glory does not come by calling.
Origin: Akamba, Kenya
Proverb: It is patience that gets you out of the net.
Origin: Nyanja, Malawi
Proverb: In anger there is no intelligence.
Origin: Zarma, Niger
Proverb: A person is always thanked after death.
Origin: Gikuyu, Kenya
Proverb: The old hoe is still a friend.
Origin: Sukuma, Tanzania
Proverb: Follow the river and find the sea.
Origin: Shona, Zimbabwe
Proverb: To be praised is to be ruined.
Origin: Amhara, Ethiopia
Proverb: Too many captains sink the ship.
Origin: Somali, Somalia
Proverb: Many heads, much knowledge.
Origin: Yoruba, Nigeria
Proverb: The dance of an old man does not last long.
Origin: Baganda, Uganda
Proverb: An old pot keeps the water fresh.
Origin: Bemba, Zambia
Proverb: No day dawns like another.
Origin: Hausa, Nigeria
Proverb: Good beginnings make good endings.
Origin: Pedi, South Africa
Proverb: The son of the zebra also has stripes.
Origin: Xhosa, South Africa
Proverb: Nobody is born with teeth.
Origin: Bantu, Cameroon
Proverb: No one knows the messenger of death.
Origin: Hausa, Nigeria
Proverb: Hope is not equal to despair.
Origin: Igbo, Nigeria
Proverb: The one who does not dig does not eat.
Origin: Wolof, Senegal
Proverb: What goes into the stomach is not lasting.
Origin: Oromo, Ethiopia
Proverb: Pride has no beauty.
Origin: Berber, Morocco
Proverb: Education has no end.
Origin: Akan, Ghana
Proverb: Effort and capability are not the same.
Origin: Ndebele, Zimbabwe
Proverb: One cannot be in debt and still talk big.
Origin: Malagasy, Madagascar
Proverb: A snake bites where it reaches.
Origin: Bambara, Mali
Proverb: Beat each other’s wings.
Origin: Baganda, Uganda
Proverb: From the dew.
Origin: Sukuma, Tanzania
Proverb: For agreement.
Origin: Somali, Somalia
Proverb: Money to pay.
Origin: Malagasy, Madagascar
Proverb: Established; then it will work for you.
Origin: Arabic, Tunisia
Proverb: A good end.
Origin: Yoruba, Nigeria
Proverb: In anger there is no intelligence.
Origin: Sukuma, Tanzania
Proverb: A person is always thanked after death.
Origin: Tswana, Botswana
Proverb: From others.
Origin: Venda, Zimbabwe
Proverb: Evening, the child says in the morning.
Origin: Oromo, Ethiopia
Proverb: Beauty is not wisdom.
Origin: Mamprussi, Burkina Faso
Proverb: The old hoe is still a friend.
Origin: Logbara, Uganda
Proverb: Follow the river and find the sea.
Origin: Lozi, Zambia
Proverb: Madness tomorrow.
Origin: Yoruba, Nigeria
Proverb: Always rise for its own sake.
Origin: Kikuyu, Kenya
Proverb: Even under a veil, fire still burns.
Origin: Swahili, Tanzania
Proverb: To be praised is to be ruined.
Origin: Kikuyu, Kenya
Proverb: Too many captains sink the ship.
Origin: Wolof, Gambia
Proverb: Many heads, much knowledge.
Origin: Ewe, Ghana
Proverb: The dance of an old man does not last long.
Origin: Berge, Gabon
Proverb: An old pot keeps the water fresh.
Origin: Tigrinya, Eritrea
Proverb: No day dawns like another.
Origin: Turkana, Kenya
Proverb: No one knows the messenger of death.
Origin: Mende, Sierra Leone
Proverb: Hope is not equal to despair.
Origin: Maasai, Kenya
Proverb: Politeness is gold.
Origin: Maasai, Kenya
Proverb: A person’s arms cannot embrace it.
Origin: Akan, Ghana
Proverb: A flag blowing in the wind.
Origin: Nandi, Congo
Proverb: The one who does not dig does not eat.
Origin: Logbara, Uganda
Proverb: It is the child that suffers.
Origin: Zulu, South Africa
Proverb: A proverb settles disputes.
Origin: Yoruba, Nigeria
Proverb: What goes into the stomach is not lasting.
Origin: Sotho, Lesotho
Proverb: Pride has no beauty.
Origin: Chewa, Malawi
Proverb: One who loves dancing cannot fail to dance.
Origin: Nyanja, Zambia
Proverb: Education has no end.
Origin: Mwanga, Tanzania
Proverb: In the market, you are likely to hit your relative.
Origin: Nyanja, Zambia
Proverb: Wait until tomorrow comes.
Origin: Malinke, West Africa
Proverb: Effort and capability are not the same.
Origin: Maasai, Kenya
Proverb: One cannot be in debt and still talk big.
Origin: Idoma, Nigeria
Proverb: A single log cannot keep warm.
Origin: Ovambo, Angola
Proverb: A snake bites where it reaches.
Origin: Mudang, Chad
Proverb: The strength of a fish is in the water.
Origin: Shona, Mozambique
Proverb: Appetite comes by tasting.
Origin: Kaonde, Zambia
Proverb: If the food is delicious, the tongue knows.
Origin: Tshi, Ghana
Proverb: Nobody can do what an expert cannot do.
Origin: Shona, Mozambique
Proverb: A river is enlarged by its tributaries.
Origin: Tugen, Kenya
Proverb: You cannot be too late to change.
Origin: Mossi, Mali
Proverb: Remember what you have heard.
Origin: Marakwet, Kenya
Proverb: We understand life backwards, but we live it forwards.
Origin: Nandi, Congo
Proverb: The fox does not leave its tail behind.
Origin: Tshi, Ghana
Proverb: The wise with a wink, the fool with a kick.
Origin: Arabic, Egypt
Proverb: Fire is not extinguished with fire.
Origin: Kikuyu, Kenya
Proverb: Anger breeds foolishness.
Origin: Sukuma, Tanzania
Proverb: Never ask to be told the obvious.
Origin: Kuria, Kenya
Proverb: There are many ways of cooking it.
Origin: Swahili, Zanzibar
Proverb: For every rose there is a thorn.
Origin: Igbo, Nigeria
Proverb: If the speaker is a fool, the listener is no fool.
Origin: Hausa, Nigeria
Proverb: Think before acting.
Origin: Maasai, Kenya
Proverb: To forget is the same as to throw away.
Origin: Tumbuka, Malawi
Proverb: The tongue forgets more than the ear.
Origin: Baganda, Uganda
Proverb: To ask is to be forgiven.
Origin: Tiv, Nigeria
Proverb: A dirty tongue litters its owner.
Origin: Rundi, Rwanda
Proverb: Brief showers fill the stream.
Origin: Lozi, Zambia
Proverb: To give is to save.
Origin: Ndonga, Namibia
Proverb: Gratitude is not servitude.
Origin: Marta, Chad
Proverb: One scratches where it itches.
Origin: Sukuma, Tanzania
Proverb: If you invite yourself, bring your own chair.
Origin: Sukuma, Tanzania
Proverb: There is truth even in humour.
Origin: Ovambo, Angola
Proverb: Hope kills nobody.
Origin: Ovambo, Angola
Proverb: The ignorant praises his own ignorance.
Origin: Teso, Uganda
Proverb: A big heart is better than a big brain.
Origin: Guro, Ivory Coast
Proverb: Be kind to the one who is kind to you.
Origin: Guro, Ivory Coast
Proverb: A hungry stomach knows no law.
Origin: Tsonga, Mozambique
Proverb: Anger in the mind, smile on the teeth.
Origin: Igbo, Nigeria
Proverb: A good name is better than riches.
Origin: Zarma, Niger
Proverb: If you sleep, your business sleeps too.
Origin: Kaonde, Zambia
Proverb: Lazy people are always tired.
Origin: Malagasy, Madagascar
Proverb: Sleep on it before speaking.
Origin: Ancient Egyptian Saying
Proverb: Truth should be in love, and love in truth.
Origin: Swahili, Tanzania
Proverb: What you sow is what you reap.
Origin: Mungaka, Cameroon
Proverb: An old person has eaten a lot of wisdom.
Origin: Bade, Ivory Coast
Proverb: We are people because of our people.
Origin: Sotho, Lesotho
Proverb: Nothing is impossible to a woman of will.
Origin: Mandigo, Guinea
Proverb: Nothing hurts like shame.
Origin: Ashanti, Ghana
Proverb: Eyes have no boundaries.
Origin: Shona, Mozambique
Proverb: The way one speaks is the way one acts.
Origin: Baganda, Uganda
Proverb: Think first before you speak.
Origin: Tsonga, Mozambique
Proverb: Nobody is born wise.
Origin: Kikuyu, Kenya
Proverb: If you look for trouble, you will not miss it.
Origin: Mossi, Burkina Faso
Proverb: One’s own language is never hard.
Origin: Igbo, Nigeria
Proverb: The size of a river depends on its streams.
Origin: Akamba, Kenya
Proverb: Advice is useful when one listens.
Origin: Tigrinya, Eritrea
Proverb: A good word removes anger.
Origin: Ga, Ghana
Proverb: A child is the reward of God.
Origin: Yoruba, Nigeria
Proverb: Knowing too much is being ignorant.
Origin: Kikuyu, Kenya
Proverb: Wisdom comes even from a small anthill.
Origin: Tumbuka, Malawi
Proverb: A house on the sand.
Origin: Chewa, Malawi
Proverb: Pumpkin leaves.
Origin: Zulu, South Africa
Proverb: Shoulders are never higher than the head.
Origin: Lunda, Zambia
Proverb: If you walk with a lame person, you learn to walk like him.
Origin: Akan, Ghana
Proverb: A bird may fly high, but its wings do not hold it forever.
Origin: Oromo, Ethiopia
Proverb: A stone thrown often becomes a nutcracker.
Origin: Fang, Gabon
Proverb: Mountains do not meet; people do.
Origin: Samburu, Kenya
Proverb: The child who does not extend his hand when young will not extend it when old.
Origin: Ewé, Ghana
Proverb: Misfortune makes us know who loves us.
Origin: Yao, Malawi
Proverb: To be without friends is to be truly poor.
Origin: Somali, Somalia
Proverb: Do not trust a person whose character is weak.
Origin: Luo, Kenya
Proverb: Many friends empty the stomach.
Origin: Hausa, Nigeria
Proverb: A good word removes anger.
Origin: Ga, Ghana
Proverb: Where there is love, even if the house is crowded, it is never too small.
Origin: Sukuma, Tanzania
Proverb: Try to do what you can do.
Origin: Chewa, Malawi
Proverb: The foot that wanders brings news back to check.
Origin: Duala, Cameroon
Proverb: When we lie, we renounce peace.
Origin: Malagasy, Madagascar
Proverb: Work made in a hurry does not pay.
Origin: Swahili, Zanzibar
Proverb: Do not stir a wasps’ nest.
Origin: Bari, Sudan
Proverb: A naked hand cannot grasp the fire.
Origin: Peul, Mauritania
Proverb: A proverb is the horse that carries you to be wise.
Origin: Basa, Liberia
Proverb: The tongue slumbers more than the foot.
Origin: Tigrinya, Eritrea
Proverb: A real person is not afraid of trying.
Origin: Sukuma, Tanzania
Proverb: What is slipped from the hand cannot be retrieved.
Origin: Amharic, Ethiopia
Proverb: What is gained with effort is not lost without effort.
Origin: Rundi, Rwanda
Proverb: A person can pretend not to be hungry, but not to be in pain.
Origin: Luhya, Kenya
Proverb: What is accepted without understanding is something else.
Origin: Ge’ez, Ethiopia
Proverb: If you pick up too much, some will fall.
Origin: Fang, Gabon
Proverb: Patience is the talisman of life.
Origin: Chewa, Malawi
Proverb: What enters by the feet may stay longer.
Origin: Tigrinya, Eritrea
Proverb: A soft bed invites you to lie on it; hard when you get up.
Origin: Malagasy, Madagascar
Proverb: Thoughts follow the eyes.
Origin: Mandigo, Guinea
Proverb: A delicate thing is not difficult to injure.
Origin: Herero, Namibia
Proverb: We know the body but not the heart.
Origin: Chewa, Malawi
Proverb: The sea may carry waves; your relatives may be in it.
Origin: Swahili, Kenya
Proverb: One good day is not a shield against another bad day.
Origin: Somali, Somalia
Proverb: He who knows the truth must tell it to others.
Origin: Baganda, Uganda
Proverb: Tears are no language.
Origin: Kikuyu, Kenya
Proverb: Everyone likes their own cattle; bad is only when they steal mine.
Origin: Zulu, South Africa
