Ethiopia — quotes, proverbs & wisdom

ድር ቢያብር አንበሳ ያስር

“When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.”

Individually weak people or efforts become powerful when they join together in unity.

ቀስ በቀስ እንቁላል በእግሩ ይሄዳል

“Little by little, an egg will walk on its legs.”

With patience and gradual, steady effort even seemingly impossible things are accomplished.

እግርህን በልብስህ ልክ ዘርጋ

“Stretch your legs according to the length of your blanket.”

Live within your means and act according to your resources and circumstances.

ጅብ ከሄደ ውሻ ጮኸ

“When the hyena has already left, the dog starts barking.”

Taking action or raising an alarm after the danger has passed is useless.

ውሃ ሲወስድ እያሳሳቀ ነው

“The river carries you away while it is laughing (looking gentle).”

Danger and ruin often arrive disguised in a pleasant, harmless-looking form.

ሲሮጡ የታጠቁት ሲሮጡ ይፈታል

“What is tied while running comes loose while running.”

Things done hastily and carelessly fall apart just as quickly.

ላም አለኝ በሰማይ ወተትዋንም አላይ

“I have a cow in the sky, but I cannot see its milk.”

Boasting about a possession or promise that is unreachable and of no real benefit.

አንድ እጅ ብቻዋን አታጨበጭብም

“One hand alone cannot clap.”

Cooperation is needed to achieve anything; nothing is done successfully alone.

“He who conceals his illness cannot expect to be cured.”

Hiding a problem from those who could help only prevents any real solution from being found.

“Where there is no shame, there is no honor.”

A sense of shame and self-respect is the foundation on which a person's honor is built.

“The hen that laid an egg cackles as though she had laid an axe.”

People often make a loud fuss over a small accomplishment.

“He who eats alone dies alone.”

A person who hoards and refuses to share will find no one beside them when they are in need.

“A wise enemy is better than a foolish friend.”

A clever rival can be more useful, and less harmful, than a well-meaning but careless companion.

“Even the lion, king of the beasts, protects himself against flies.”

No one, however powerful, is above taking precautions against small troubles.

“He who learns, teaches.”

Knowledge that is gained is meant to be passed on to others, not kept for oneself alone.

ቡና ዳቦ ነው

“Coffee is our bread.”

The coffee ceremony is such a central, sustaining part of daily and social life that it is valued as much as food itself.

የለማኝ ቅንጡ ይላል ወተት አምጡ

“A choosy beggar still asks for milk.”

Someone who depends on the generosity of others is in no position to be picky about what they receive.

ባጎረስኩ እጄን ተነከስኩ

“I fed him with my own hand, and he bit the very hand that fed him.”

A warning that generosity and kindness are sometimes repaid with betrayal or ingratitude.

የፈሰሰ ውሃ አይታፈስም

“Spilled water cannot be gathered up again.”

Once something is done or said, it cannot be undone; regret afterward changes nothing.

ከፈረሱ በፊት ጋሪው

“Do not put the cart before the horse.”

Things must be done in their proper order, or the whole effort goes wrong.

ላለፈ ክረምት ቤት አይሰራም

“One does not build a house for a winter that has already passed.”

There is no use preparing for, or dwelling on, a hardship that is already over.

ገብስ ለገብስ አብሮ ይነፍስ

“Barley sways together with barley.”

People of similar nature, background, or interest naturally gather and move together.

የሚያብረቀርቅ ሁሉ ወርቅ አይደለም

“Not everything that shines is gold.”

A pleasing outward appearance does not guarantee true worth or real value.

ከሰው ስህተት ከብረት ዝገት አይጠፋም

“As iron cannot escape rust, a person cannot escape mistakes.”

Mistakes are a natural, unavoidable part of being human, just as rust is natural to iron.

ልጅ እናቷን ምጥ አስተማረች

“The child taught its mother how to give birth.”

Mocks the absurdity of someone instructing a person who is far more experienced than they are.

የሚጮህ ውሻ አይናከስም

“A dog that barks rarely bites.”

Those who make the loudest threats are often the least dangerous in action.

አይን አይኑን ያዩት ጀበና ቶሎ አይፈላም

“A kettle that is watched eye to eye takes long to boil.”

Impatiently watching for a result only makes the waiting feel longer.

ለአንድ ብርቱ ሁለት መዳኒቱ

“Two minds together are worth more than one strong body alone.”

Working together and combining wisdom accomplishes more than raw individual strength.

ዘር ከልጓም ይስባል

“Blood pulls harder than a tether rope.”

Family ties carry a pull and a loyalty that outweigh other bonds.

አወቅኩሽ ናቅኩሽ

“The more I came to know you, the more I looked down on you.”

Growing too familiar with someone can expose their flaws and erode the respect once held for them.

ታሞ ከመጨነቅ አስቀድሞ መጠንቀቅ

“Take care beforehand, rather than fall sick and only then grow anxious.”

It is wiser to prevent a problem in advance than to struggle with anxiety after it has already happened.

ብረትን መምታት እንደጋለ ነው

“Strike the iron while it is still hot.”

Opportunities must be seized at the right moment, before they cool and pass by.

ውሃ ቀስ በቀስ አለትን ይበሳል

“Water, little by little, wears its way through a rock.”

Quiet, steady persistence can accomplish what force alone cannot.

ውበት እንደ ተመልካቹ ነው

“Beauty is as the eye that beholds it.”

What counts as beautiful depends entirely on the person who is looking.

ቀድሞ የገባ እንግዳ እራቱ ፍሪዳ

“The guest who arrives first is served the fattened calf for dinner.”

Those who arrive early, or act promptly, receive the best share.

አጥብቆ ጠያቂ የእናቱን መሞት ይረዳል

“One who asks too many questions hastens his own mother's death.”

Prying too deeply into things, or pushing too hard to know, can bring trouble upon oneself.

አሳ ጎርጓሪ ዘንዶ ያወጣል

“He who digs for a fish may dig up a python instead.”

Pursuing a small, easy gain can uncover a far bigger danger than expected.

ባዶ ቆርቆሮ ይጮሃል

“An empty barrel makes the loudest noise.”

Those who know or have the least often talk the most.

ልጅየው ሆነ አባትየው

“The child of today becomes the father of tomorrow.”

The habits and character formed in childhood carry forward into adulthood.

የወረወርኩት አንካሴ ተመልሶ በራሴ

“The spear I threw came back and landed on my own head.”

Harm intended for others has a way of eventually returning to the one who caused it.

ሰው የዘራውን ያጭዳል

“A person harvests exactly what he has sown.”

The results a person receives in life are shaped directly by their own actions.

አመድ በዱቀት ይስቃል

“The ash laughs at the sieve for being full of holes.”

Someone mocks a fault in another while ignoring the very same flaw in themselves.

ድስት ግጣሙን አያጣም

“Every pot finds a lid to match it.”

Everything, and everyone, eventually finds its rightful match.

ሳይከካ ተቦካ

“It was kneaded into dough before the flour was even sifted.”

Acting on, or assuming, an outcome before the necessary steps are even complete.

ሰርገኛ መጣ በርበሬ ቀንጥሱ

“The wedding guests have already arrived — now go pick the peppers.”

Scrambling to prepare only after the need has already arrived, when it is already too late.

ጊዜ ታክሲ አይደለም ቆሞ አይጠብቅህም

“Time is not a taxi that stands and waits for you.”

Time keeps moving forward regardless of whether a person is ready or not.

ስራ ከምፈታ ልጄን ላፋታ

“Rather than let my child sit idle, I would send her out to grind grain.”

Keeping busy with useful work is far better than the trouble idleness invites.

ዝምታ ወርቅ ነው

“Silence is gold.”

Restraint and quiet are often wiser, and more valuable, than speaking.

የጭቃ ውስጥ እሾህ

“There is a thorn hiding inside the mud.”

Danger can hide unseen within something that looks harmless on the surface.

ሴት ሲበዛ ጎመን ጠነዛ

“When too many women gather around the pot, the cabbage stew is ruined.”

Too many people involved in a single task can spoil the outcome rather than improve it.