61 African Proverbs

Let these African Proverbs encourage and inspire you. These proverbs orginated from Africa and are full of wisdom. Many of them are short but contain wisdom that can be applied to daily life. They have provide motivation and guidance to many over the years. You may find yourself thinking about the short sentence only to realize the truth that so few words can mean.

Published by: Catherine Pulsifer and Ben Gillison

  1. A cutting word is worse than a bowstring, a cut may heal, but the cut of the tongue does not.
    African Proverb



  2. If you climb up a tree, you must climb down the same tree.
    African Proverb



  3. Don't set sail on someone else's star.
    African Proverb



  4. There are no shortcuts to the top of the palm tree.
    African Proverb



  5. When a needle falls into a deep well, many people will look into the well, but few will be ready to go down after it.
    African Proverb



  6. For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.
    African Proverb



  7. Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand.
    African Proverb



  8. Being happy is better than being king.
    African Proverb



  9. To try and to fail is not laziness.
    African Proverb



  10. If you offend, ask for a pardon; if offended forgive.
    African Proverb



  11. A person with too much ambition cannot sleep in peace.
    African Proverb



    12. Even the best dancer on the stage must retire sometime. African Proverb
  12. Even the best dancer on the stage must retire sometime.
    African Proverb



  13. A good deed is something one returns.
    African Proverb



  14. Those who accomplish great things pay attention to little ones.
    African Proverb



  15. Ugliness with a good character is better than beauty.
    African Proverb



  16. The laughter of a child lights up the house.
    African Proverb



  17. Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.
    African Proverb



  18. He who learns, teaches.
    African Proverb



  19. Patience is the mother of a beautiful child.
    African Proverb



  20. He who refuses to obey cannot command.
    African Proverb



  21. A single stick may smoke, but it will not burn.
    African Proverb



  22. Seeing is different than being told.
    African Proverb



  23. Rising early makes the road short.
    African Proverb



    24. By crawling a child learns to stand. African Proverb
  24. By crawling a child learns to stand.
    African Proverb



  25. Hope does not disappoint.
    African Proverb



  26. If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
    African Proverb



  27. There is no medicine to cure hatred.
    African Proverb



  28. A quarrelsome chief does not hold a village together.
    African Proverb



  29. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
    African Proverb



  30. You can tell a ripe corn by its look.
    African Proverb



  31. When I think of the others's misfortunes, I forget mine.
    African Proverb



  32. If you are filled with pride, then you will have no room for wisdom.
    African Proverb



  33. A stream cannot rise above its source.
    African Proverb



  34. No matter how beautiful and well crafted a coffin might look, it will not make anyone wish for death.
    African Proverb



  35. Every misfortune is a blessing.
    African Proverb



  36. Love is like a baby: it needs to be treated tenderly.
    African Proverb



  37. A ripe melon falls by itself.
    African Proverb



  38. A man who pays respect to the great paves his own way for greatness.
    African Proverb



    39. Children are the reward of life. African Proverb
  39. Children are the reward of life.
    African Proverb



  40. Lack of knowledge is darker than night.
    African Proverb



  41. Do not call to a dog with a whip in your hand.
    African Proverb



  42. Repetition is the mother of knowledge.
    African Proverb



  43. Wood already touched by fire is not hard to set alight.
    African Proverb



  44. One must talk little and listen much.
    African Proverb



  45. However long the night may last, there will be a morning.
    African Proverb



  46. By labor comes wealth.
    African Proverb



  47. Having a good discussion is like having riches.
    African Proverb



  48. Ingratitude is sooner or later fatal to its author.
    African Proverb



  49. When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.
    African Proverb



  50. If you damage the character of another, you damage your own.
    African Proverb



  51. Rain does not fall on one roof alone.
    African Proverb



  52. A friend is someone you share the path with.
    African Proverb



  53. A tree is straightened while it is still young.
    African Proverb



  54. One who relates with a corrupt person likewise gets corrupted.
    African Proverb



  55. Confiding a secret to an unworthy person is like carrying grain in a bag with a hole.
    African Proverb



    56. The earth is a beehive, we all enter by the same door. African Proverb
  56. The earth is a beehive, we all enter by the same door.
    African Proverb



  57. He who does not know one thing knows another.
    African Proverb



  58. One falsehood spoils a thousand truths.
    African Proverb



  59. Every fame has a foundation.
    African Proverb



  60. A feeble effort will not fulfill the self.
    African Proverb



  61. Do not call the forest that shelters you a jungle.
    African Proverb


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