“Silence is an attribute of the dead; he who is alive speaks.”
Living, engaged people communicate; withdrawing into silence is a kind of death.
— Traditional Benin Wisdom, Benin
Source: Traditional Benin proverb, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Benin
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.
Traditional Benin Wisdom
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Work is the medicine for poverty.
Labor and effort are the true remedy for hardship and want.
Traditional Benin Wisdom
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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.
Traditional Benin Wisdom
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A great affair covers up a small matter.
A major issue easily overshadows and hides a lesser one.
Traditional Benin Wisdom
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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.
Traditional Benin Wisdom
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Before you ask a man for clothes, look at the clothes that he is wearing.
Assess a person's true circumstances before making a request of them.
Traditional Benin Wisdom
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