Cameroon Proverbs (50)

“A bird that allows itself to be caught will find a way of escaping.”

Even in a difficult trap, a resourceful spirit can still find a path to freedom.

“A building of sand falls as you build it.”

A plan built on a weak or unstable foundation collapses even as you try to raise it.

“Singing birds don't build nests.”

Those who talk the most about their plans often accomplish the least.

“A friend is worth more than a brother.”

A loyal friend chosen freely can prove more valuable than family ties alone.

“A man's wealth may be superior to him.”

Riches can outgrow and overshadow the character of the person who holds them.

“An elephant will reach to the roof of the house.”

Something powerful and large will eventually make its presence felt, no matter the obstacle in its way.

“However little you think of the elephant, you can't say it won't fill a pot.”

Even something of great size or worth can still serve even the smallest need — never underestimate what it can provide.

“Beauty is an empty calabash.”

Outer beauty alone carries little worth if it lacks substance or virtue within.

“Better a mistake at the beginning than at the end.”

An error made early can still be corrected, but a mistake at the end may be too late to fix.

“Better little than too little.”

A modest but sufficient amount is preferable to having barely anything at all.

“It is the pot that boils but the dish that gets the credit.”

Often the one who does the hard, unseen work receives none of the praise, which goes to whoever presents the result.

“If everyone is going to dance, who, then, would watch?”

A community needs different roles; not everyone can do the same thing at once.

“The heart of a wise man lies quiet like clear water.”

True wisdom shows itself through calm and clarity rather than agitation.

“She is like a road — pretty, but crooked.”

Appearances can be deceiving; something attractive on the surface may be dishonest or flawed underneath.

“One father can feed seven children, but seven children cannot feed one father.”

A parent's love and sacrifice for many children is rarely matched by the children's care in return.

“The flood takes him in, and the ebb takes him out.”

Fortune rises and falls in its own time, carrying people along with its changing tides.

“Knowledge is better than riches.”

Understanding and wisdom hold more lasting value than material wealth.

“If the fight is tomorrow, why then clench your fist today?”

There is no need to waste energy or worry over a struggle before its actual time has come.

“The cricket cries, the year changes.”

Small, familiar signs often mark the passing of time and the turning of the seasons.

“However swift a man, he will not outstrip his shadow.”

Some things, like one's own past or nature, stay with a person no matter how fast they try to outrun them.

“When the poor man sets a trap only his dog gets caught.”

Misfortune tends to fall hardest on those who already have the least.

“Lying can get you a wife, but it won't keep her.”

Deception may achieve a short-term gain, but only honesty sustains a lasting relationship.

“You cannot produce one human being without uniting two bodies.”

Great outcomes usually require cooperation; nothing meaningful is achieved entirely alone.

“He who asks questions, cannot avoid the answers.”

Once you go looking for the truth, you must be prepared to accept what you find.

“Water always finds a way out.”

Determined effort and patience will eventually uncover a path forward, no matter the obstacle.

“Rain does not fall on one roof alone.”

Hardship, like rain, touches the whole community and is rarely a single person's burden alone.

“If the panther knew how much he is feared, he would do much more harm.”

A person often holds more influence than they realize, and awareness of that power can change how they use it.

“The day did not know that night had fallen.”

Change can arrive so gradually that we fail to notice until it has already happened.

“The fire cannot be put out with your hands.”

Some problems are too large or dangerous to solve with makeshift or careless effort.

“When the vine entwines your roof, it is time to cut it down.”

Act before a small growing problem becomes strong enough to cause real damage.

“By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree.”

Repeated practice, even through failure, is how skill and confidence are built.

“The darkness of night cannot stop the light of morning.”

No matter how difficult the present moment, better times will eventually arrive.

“If love is a sickness, patience is the remedy.”

Difficult emotions and relationships are best healed through patience rather than haste.

“It is better to be the victim of injustice than to be unjust yourself.”

Suffering a wrong is less damaging to one's character than committing a wrong against another.

“If you do not step on the dog's tail, he will not bite you.”

Trouble usually only comes to those who provoke it themselves.

“What you don't know, you will not recognize.”

A person cannot identify or benefit from knowledge or danger they have never learned about.

“There is no doctor on the day you die.”

When one's time truly comes, no help or remedy can change what is destined.

“You come with a cat and call it a rabbit.”

Someone tries to pass off a poor or dishonest substitute as something valuable, hoping others won't notice.

Tiko drink, Kumba drunk.

“When Tiko drinks, it is Kumba that gets drunk.”

Someone far removed from a situation can end up more affected or concerned by it than the person directly involved.

Ting weh e happen for cocoa, na e go happen for kaka.

“Whatever happens to the fresh cocoa bean will happen to the dried one.”

What begins in one state will eventually show the same outcome once it fully develops — the fate of a thing follows from its origin.

Khaki no be leather.

“Khaki is not the same as leather.”

A cheaper imitation should never be mistaken for the genuine, higher-quality original.

Order pass power.

“A given order outweighs raw power.”

Legitimate authority and instruction matter more, in the end, than brute force alone.

Every Hausa man with e kettle.

“Every Hausa man carries his own kettle.”

Everyone is responsible for carrying and managing their own burdens and belongings.

Small, small, monkey catch banana.

“Little by little, the monkey catches the banana.”

Patience and small, steady steps eventually lead to success.

Tori sweet sotay tifman laugh for under bed.

“When gossip gets too sweet to resist, even the thief laughs from under the bed.”

Getting too absorbed in gossip or pleasure can carelessly expose one's own hidden secrets.

Wetin rat get for do with bottle?

“What business does a rat have with a bottle?”

A pointed question dismissing something as none of a person's business or concern.

Na condition bend njanga e back.

“It is circumstance that bends the crayfish's back.”

Difficult circumstances force people to adapt and bend in ways they normally would not.

“Selling after the market.”

Acting only once the right opportunity has already passed does little good.

“Imitation leads to danger.”

Copying others without understanding what you are doing can lead you into real trouble.

“What an old person can see sitting down, a young person cannot see standing up.”

A lifetime of experience gives elders insight and perspective that youth has not yet earned, however sharp its eyes.