The words of Ethiopia

Ethiopia — quotes, proverbs & wisdom

Real words from the people of Ethiopia, each with a verified source. New quotes are added as each is fact-checked.

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

ድር ቢያብር አንበሳ ያስር

Source: Traditional Ethiopian (Amharic) proverb, public-domain oral tradition

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

ቀስ በቀስ እንቁላል በእግሩ ይሄዳል

Source: Traditional Ethiopian (Amharic) proverb, public-domain oral tradition

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

እግርህን በልብስህ ልክ ዘርጋ

Source: Traditional Ethiopian (Amharic) proverb, public-domain oral tradition

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

ጅብ ከሄደ ውሻ ጮኸ

Source: Traditional Ethiopian (Amharic) proverb, public-domain oral tradition

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

ውሃ ሲወስድ እያሳሳቀ ነው

Source: Traditional Ethiopian (Amharic) proverb, public-domain oral tradition

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

ሲሮጡ የታጠቁት ሲሮጡ ይፈታል

Source: Traditional Ethiopian (Amharic) proverb, public-domain oral tradition

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

ላም አለኝ በሰማይ ወተትዋንም አላይ

Source: Traditional Ethiopian (Amharic) proverb, public-domain oral tradition

“One hand alone cannot clap.”

አንድ እጅ ብቻዋን አታጨበጭብም

Source: Traditional Ethiopian (Amharic) proverb, public-domain oral tradition