In Africa, quotes and proverbs were one of the most effective ways our forefathers used in passing down information and warnings. As a result of this, most Africans understood what it was like to be warned or guided without using direct terms.
These powerful African quotes and proverbs are a few of what has been passed down for generations. It has stuck with and in the hearts of many Africans regardless of where they find themselves.
A consequence of keeping such proverbs and quotes in mind is that, through our daily activities, we can always find a way to infuse something we learned from our parents or grandparents while growing up.
In the grand scheme of things, you would realize that in the African culture, proverbs and quotes are very important. It serves many different purposes and the quotes are passed down through generations.
Some of the quotes and proverbs in this article come from specific tribes while others are from countries. There are however some others whose original source is unknown and so were generally tagged ‘African’.
Powerful African Quotes and Proverbs from Across Africa
Malawian Proverb
1. The words of the elders become sweet someday.
- Meaning: Be obedient to advise from the elderly because their experience will one day prove them right
2. A quarrelsome chief does not hold a village together.
- Meaning: If you’re not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
Nigerian Proverbs
3. We are what our thinking makes us.
- Meaning: One’s decisions, perceptions, reality, and future is a product of the mind and thought processes.
4. The rain does not recognize anyone as a friend, it drenches all equally
- Meaning: Everyone is equal and would experience the same blessing and difficulties in life.
5. Other people’s wisdom prevents the king from being called a fool.
- Meaning: The people around you can help take the shame away from you and impact greatly in your life.
6. Don’t set sail using someone else’s car
- Meaning: Avoid copying someone else. Even if someone is successful, you should envy or run on the same path as the person
7. If you destroy the reputation of another, you destroy your own.
- Meaning: Quite straightforward is this quote. It connotes the idea of a boomerang effect – what you give out, comes right back at you. If you go about speaking ill of another, it tells a great message about yourself, too
8. A bird that flies from the ground to an anthill does not know that it is still on the ground.
- Meaning: When a foolish man makes a little success, he believes he is above others without realizing that he hasn’t gone far
9. The roaring lion kills no prey
- Meaning: Actions speak louder than words. Instead of talking a lot about doing something, put in the work and begin to do it.
10. The big game often appears when the hunter has given up the hunt for the day.
- Meaning: Success mostly comes at the time when one is tired and about to give up. Persistence pays so keep pushing.
11. Where you sit when you are old shows where you stood when you were in your youth.
- Meaning: The decisions you make and actions you take as a youth would determine where/who you would be in the future
12. Words are sweet but they never take the place of food.
- Meaning: A hungry man would pay no attention to you no matter how sound you may speak.
13. The big game often appears when the hunter has given up the hunt for the day.
- Meaning: Success mostly comes at the time when one is tired and about to give up. Persistence pays so keep pushing.
14. When your neighbor’s horse falls into a pit, you should not rejoice at it, for your own child may fall into it too.
- Meaning: When misfortune happens to someone close to or around us, we should not rejoice because something worse could happen to us.
Kenyan Proverbs
15. A Slippery ground does not recognize a king
- Meaning: Even the most powerful people are still humans, deep down.
16. A flea can trouble a lion more than a lion can trouble a flea
- Meaning: Do not underestimate size as there are things that could work in one’s favor irrespective of the size
17. The eye cannot penetrate darkness
- Meaning: This quote explains that try as we may, there are some things that are impossible to achieve
18. Every door has its own key
- Meaning: To every challenge, there is equally a solution.
19. An empty pot makes the loudest noise
- Meaning: The unwise talk a lot of insensible things and loudly, too.
20. Do not allow the belly to make you useless
- Meaning: When we let things define us due to fear of the future, said things begin to have strongholds on us and dictate our life choices.
21. He who refuses to obey cannot command
- Meaning: A true leader is capable of taking orders from others.
22. Put out fire while it is still small
- Meaning: Similar to ‘A stitch in time saves 9’. It is better and easier to avoid certain grave mistakes by paying attention to little ones and fixing them immediately.
23. One who relates with a corrupt person likewise gets corrupted.
- Meaning: The company we keep has a huge effect on who we are.
24. Lonely is one
- Meaning: When you are with people you like, you do not feel lonely.
25. Every elephant has the capacity to carry its tusks
- Meaning: We are always capable to overcome whatever challenge we face
26. Suppression of hunger leads to death
- Meaning: It is wise to speak up when one is uncomfortable or oppressed so it doesn’t lead to further ills
Ethiopian Proverb
27. He who learns, teaches
- Meaning: The best way to know if you have mastered something is to try to teach it to someone who knows nothing about the topic
28. Where there is no shame, there is no honor
- Meaning: Dishonest activities bring about a lack of respect
29. Even in the Monastery, there is occasion for song and merriment
- Meaning: Do not always take life too seriously. Make out time to relax and enjoy yourself
Lesotho Proverbs
30. If the palm of the hand itches, it signifies the coming of great luck
- Meaning: There is a popular superstition that when one’s palm itches, it means the coming of money or something good.
31. When a king reigns, it is thanks to the people, when a river sings, it is thanks to the stones
- Meaning: For every successful achievement, there are other contributory factors
Ghanaian Proverb
32. All heads are the same but not all thoughts are the same.
- Meaning: No matter the similarities between things and people, they would always produce different outcomes.
33. When a fish rots, the head stinks first.
- Meaning: This proverb means that if the leader or head of something does a bad job, it tells on everybody involved. In order words, when a project fails, the blame and likely cause would be the head/leader
34. If a blind man says he will throw a stone at you, he probably has his foot on one.
- Meaning: When one speaks with confidence, he most likely has a strategy in place
35. So many little things make a man love a woman in a big way
- Meaning: This is almost similar to ‘little drops of water make an ocean’. It means that little acts could yield something gigantic. Little acts of service from a woman would make a man go all out for her
36. One who does not respect the traditions of the elders will not be allowed to eat with the elders. – (Ga people)
- Meaning: This is quite a literal and straight-to-the-point quote. A disrespectful child or youth would not be let into the midst of the elderly, let alone deep his hand into the same plate of pot, to eat with them
37. One who cannot dance says the drum is bad
- Meaning: When someone cannot do something, he/she looks for what or who to blame but themselves.
Egyptian Proverb
38. One foot isn’t enough to walk with
- Meaning: Giving half or below-par attention to your goals would not get you the desired results.
39. All types of birds end up landing
- Meaning: No matter your status in life and how highly you think you are, you would still be humbled by the earth.
40. Examine what is said, not who is speaking
- Meaning: It is advisable to take good advice regardless of who is giving it.
Ugandan Proverbs
41. If you overtake a leader, you break your neck
- Meaning: Try not to show that you are more intelligent or smarter than your superiors. Also, do not be in competition with those who are way ahead of you
42. Water that has been begged for does not quench the thirst
- Meaning: As long as you don’t have control over something begged for, when you get it it may not be as satisfactory as expected
43. If you overtake a leader, you break your neck
- Meaning: Try not to show that you are more intelligent or smarter than your superiors. Also, do not be in competition with those who are way ahead of you
44. When the moon is not full, the stars shine more brightly
- Meaning: When one who is known to take all the glory isn’t available, others showcase their skill. When the head is not around, the subordinate gets to show that he is capable
45. The one nearest to the enemy is the real leader
- Meaning: Sometimes the enemy isn’t the powerful one but he who is close to the enemy and supplies him with details
Cameroonian Proverb
46. There are no shortcuts to the top of the palm tree
- Meaning: There should be no thoughts about trickish ways to succeed in life. To reach greatness, we must always follow the right path
47. If love is a sickness, patience is the remedy
- Meaning: Love doesn’t just rely on physical features because when one’s love is tested, it can only be proven by the level of patience mustered
48. Rain does not fall on one roof alone
- Meaning: Trouble and success come to everyone at one time or another
Sierra Leonean Proverb
49. An oak tree does not grow taller than its master
- Meaning: You cannot be bigger than that which created you
Malian Proverb
50. Those who accomplish great things pay attention to little ones
- Meaning: Achieving greatness begins with tackling little challenges. Being persistent, consistent, resilient, and optimistic while carrying out smaller roles would eventually lead to big accomplishments
Tanzanian Proverb
51. If you are filled with pride, then you will have no room for wisdom
- Meaning: Wisdom and humility work together while pride and foolishness walk hand in hand. While the wise one easily avoids mistakes, the proud are susceptible to making foolish mistakes.
Somalian Proverb
52. The key to a healthy body is a good head
- Meaning: This can also be translated to ‘A healthy mind, a healthy body’. When your mind is free of worries and negativity, the body is also free of those and would easily thrive healthily
53. A brave man dies once, a coward dies a thousand times
- Meaning: A person who is not afraid to face the challenges of life does not die inside as the coward does
54. He who does not seize the opportunity today would be unable to seize tomorrow’s opportunity
- Meaning: If you fail to do something in ample time, you may miss the next opportunity
READ ALSO: African Proverbs: 100 Best And Their Deep Meanings
Congolese Proverbs
55. A single bracelet does not jingle
- Meaning: There is strength and beauty in numbers.
56. When your neighbor is wrong, you point a finger. When you are wrong, you hide
- Meaning: It is easy for humans to blame others when they are at fault but when we are at fault, we try to avoid the blames
57. Little by Little grows the bananas
- Meaning: With patience, you can achieve your goals no matter how long it takes
Sudanese Proverb
58. Do not call a dog with a whip in your hand
- Meaning: People won’t listen to you if you are an aggressive leader
South African Proverbs
59. The sun never sets without fresh news
- Meaning: One constant thing in life is change
60. Even an ant can hurt an elephant
- Meaning: Even an insignificant person can overcome a champion.
61. The jungle is stronger than the elephant
- Meaning: One cannot be bigger than the community or society he grew up in
Senegalese Proverb
62. The chameleon changes color to match the earth, the earth does not change colors to match the chameleon
- Meaning: The general sense of this proverb is that of ‘adaptation’. It is a message to remind people that we cannot change everything in the world and that we should only learn to adapt to situations and things
63. An intelligent enemy is better than a stupid friend
- Meaning: It is better to be surrounded by intelligent people who will teach you things about life than people who add no value to you
64. The strong do not need clubs
- Meaning: Strong people do not need arms to win their battles. They rely on their strength
Zimbabwean Proverb
65. A king’s child is a slave elsewhere
- Meaning: You could be revered in your present society but when you go elsewhere, your status won’t be recognized.
66. If you are ugly, you must either learn to dance or make love
- Meaning: It is profitable to be able to do something in life. No matter what, have some sort of skill
67. A weaning baby that does not cry aloud will die on its mother’s back
- Meaning: One has to speak out for freedom or else he/she would suffer direly and may even die in bondage
Today's proverb: Two rams cannot drink from the same bucket at the same time.A Yoruba proverb sent by A. Godons, #Nigeria and M. Adeogun, UK
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) July 29, 2013
Burundian Proverb
68. Better little than too little
- Meaning: It is better to achieve even the littlest success than nothing at all
69. Crying a lot does not give peace of mind
- Meaning: Complaints alone won’t yield anything. It is also important to do something about the situation
Sierra Leonean Proverb
70. Do not tell the man who is carrying you that he stinks
- Meaning: One should not be ungrateful for a good deed done to him/her
71. A big fish is caught with a big bait
- Meaning: If you want to be successful, you have to put in a lot of work
Other African Proverbs
72. Love is a despot who spares no one
- Meaning: Falling in love is inevitable. No matter who you are, when love hits you, you will fall hard.
73. No tattoo is made without blood
- Meaning: Every beautiful thing comes with a price and sometimes that price is huge.
74. A little rain each day would fill the rivers to overflowing
- Meaning: Small actions end up producing big results.
75. Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand
- Meaning: It would be a waste to be knowledgeable, skilled, and well-read if you do not know how to utilize the knowledge/skill gotten
76. If you do not have patience, you cannot make beer
- Meaning: Patience is a virtue that only someone who wants to achieve great things, exercise.
77. An egg seller does not start a fight in the market
- Meaning: One who has a lot to lose does not go about living a careless and reckless life.
78. Too much discussion leads to quarrel
- Meaning: Talking a lot would one day lead one into trouble
79. Wealth is like hair in the nose. It hurts to be separated whether from a little or from a lot
- Meaning: When one is rich, he never enjoys losing his wealth, no matter how little
80. A very ambitious person cannot sleep peacefully
- Meaning: Your goals and aspirations would and should keep you moving relentlessly until you achieve them
81. Rich people sometimes eat bad food
- Meaning: No matter one’s status in life, he/she would also be faced with a difficult or bad situation at a point in their life
82. Confiding a secret to an unworthy person is like carrying grain in a bag with a hole
- Meaning: Just like the grains in the bag with holes will scatter and be all over the place, so would your secret be, if you tell it to someone who isn’t worthy
83. Sugarcane is sweetest at its joint
Meaning: Good things may seem difficult to achieve but in the end, it is worth it.
84. If an arrow has not entered deeply, its removal is not hard
- Meaning: When one doesn’t work hard enough, his position may be dethroned
85. We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children
- Meaning: This proverb is a warning and advice that we should not focus on the past and present but consider the future. In the future, it is our children that will be left to deal with however we leave things and situations
86. When I think of others’ misfortunes, I forget mine
- Meaning: The pains and sorrows of others most times surpass that which one faces at the moment
87. Supposing doesn’t fill the basket, ‘if’ doesn’t fill the larder
- Meaning: Complaining is not a strategy; actions are
88. A deaf ear is followed by death and an ear that listens is followed by blessings
- Meaning: When one fails to heed the advice, he/she would end up getting into trouble; One who listens and takes advice would, on the other hand, avoid grave mistakes and troubles
89. A child’s lie is like a dead fish in a pond. In the end, it always comes to the surface
- Meaning: This advice tells us that nothing is hidden under the sun. Whatever evil one does would one day be revealed
90. Birds sing not because they have answers but because they have songs
- Meaning: With clarity in purpose, one does not need a reason for every action. The choice comes naturally
91. Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it but he who caught it, chased it
- Meaning: You cannot succeed if you do not try, however, trying does not guarantee success. However, it is advisable that you strive to achieve greatness
92. Family names are like flowers, they blossom in clusters
- Meaning: It is easier and better to work together as a family as success is guaranteed when that happens
93. No matter how big a child is, he cannot deny that he was once carried on the back of a woman
- Meaning: Nobody can deny his roots or humble beginnings no matter his or her status in life
94. One man’s food is another man’s poison
- Meaning: What doesn’t work for one person may be another person’s gateway; What one despises may be another’s favorite thing
95. Knowledge is like a garden: If it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested
- Meaning: One can only achieve knowledge when he makes effort to get it; If there is no work put in, nothing would be achieved
96. While climbing a tree, if you insist on going beyond the top, the earth will be waiting for you
- Meaning: Do not over-stretch yourself or overdo things. While striving to achieve your goals, try not to go overboard because it may lead to your downfall
97. Pretend you are dead and you will see who truly loves you
- Meaning: People may only be good to you because of what they gain from you. When you are no more, they would forget you very fast
98. Until the lion learns to write, every story glorifies the hunter
- Meaning: This is mostly told in reference to African history. It is believed that the colonialists brainwashed a lot of Africans and their tales of historical Africa were made up because Africans at the time could not read nor write and so could not tell their own side of the story
99. Two rams cannot drink from the same bucket, they will lock horns; they will lock horns
- Meaning: Two proud people cannot work together as their pride would never give way to success. Neither would want to let the other take control
100. If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together
- Meaning: Working as a team would yield a greater and better result than working alone
101. One who doesn’t clean his mouth before breakfast would always complain that the food is sour
- Meaning: If you do not make better your path, you would not enjoy the result in the end
102. It is difficult for two long nose lovers to kiss
- Meaning: When two proud people cohabit, it is difficult for there to be peace and unity
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