Ndaku olalaka te okoyeba esika nayi etangaka te.
“You cannot know where a house leaks if you have never slept in it.”
True understanding comes only from direct experience, not from the outside.
— Traditional Congo-Brazzaville Wisdom, Republic of the Congo
Source: Traditional Lingala proverb, Congo Basin Bantu oral tradition (Republic of the Congo), public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Republic of the Congo
All monkeys cannot hang on the same branch.
People differ in ability and status; not everyone can occupy the same position at once.
If one is roasting two potatoes, one of them is bound to get charred.
When attention is divided between tasks, something is likely to be neglected or spoiled.
If you walk with an elephant, the dew will not bother you.
Association with someone powerful or wise offers protection from hardship.
Even if skinny, an elephant dares not cross over a grass bridge.
True strength is measured by more than appearance; even the mighty respect their real limits.
When the monkey is chased away, the crazy baboon laughs.
A fool mocks another's misfortune without realizing the same fate may await him.
The lizard runs so fast that it overtakes its own hole.
Excessive haste can cause a person to miss the very goal they were rushing toward.