“The old woman put the sauce on the fire, and a beetle fell into it.”
Some things happen by fate or chance, beyond anyone's planning or control.
— Traditional Benin Wisdom, Benin
Source: Traditional Fon proverb (Benin), public-domain oral tradition (African Manners, "Fon Proverbs I (Benin): 17 in Total")
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Silence is an attribute of the dead; he who is alive speaks.
Living, engaged people communicate; withdrawing into silence is a kind of death.
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Anyone who sees beauty and does not look at it will soon be poor.
Failing to notice and appreciate the good things in life leads to a poorer existence.
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Work is the medicine for poverty.
Labor and effort are the true remedy for hardship and want.
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The world is a journey; the afterworld is home.
Earthly life is temporary travel, while the true, lasting home lies beyond it.
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A great affair covers up a small matter.
A major issue easily overshadows and hides a lesser one.
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Anyone who plants a tree before they die has not lived in vain.
Leaving something lasting behind gives a life meaning and purpose.
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