Ghana Proverbs (50)

Ti koro nko agyina.

“One head does not go into council.”

Wisdom grows through consultation — big decisions need many minds, not one alone.

Woforo dua pa a na yɛpia wo.

“When you climb a good tree, you are given a push.”

People rally to support those pursuing a worthy or honest goal.

Praye, sɛ woyi baako a na ebu; wɔkabom a emmu.

“Take one broom straw away and it breaks; bound together, they do not break.”

Individuals are fragile alone, but united they gain strength.

Nsateaa nyinaa nnyɛ pɛ.

“All fingers are not the same.”

People differ in ability and character, and each has their own worth.

Obi nkyerɛ akwadaa Nyame.

“Nobody teaches a child who God is.”

Awareness of a higher power is considered innate, not something that must be taught.

Ɔkɔtɔ nwo anomaa.

“A crab does not give birth to a bird.”

Children naturally resemble their parents in character as well as appearance.

Aboa bi bɛka wo a, ofiri wo ntoma mu.

“If an animal is going to bite you, it hides within your own cloth.”

The greatest harm often comes from those closest to you, not from strangers.

Anomaa antu a, ɔbua da.

“If a bird does not fly, it goes to bed hungry.”

Only action and effort bring survival and reward; idleness earns nothing.

Obi nnim ɔberempɔn ahyɛaseɛ.

“Nobody knows how a great person's story began.”

Do not despise humble beginnings — today's greatness was once small and unnoticed.

Agya bi wu a, agya bi te ase.

“When one father dies, another father lives on.”

The community shares responsibility for raising and guiding its children.

Baanu so a emmia.

“When two people carry a load together, it does not hurt as much.”

Shared burdens are lighter than burdens carried alone.

Wamma wo yɔnko antwa ankɔ a, wontwa nnuru.

“If you do not let your friend cross the river, you too will never reach the other side.”

Helping others succeed is often the very path to your own success.

Yɛsoma onyansafoɔ, ɛnyɛ anamɔntenten.

“It is the wise person we send on an errand, not the one with the longest legs.”

Judgment and wisdom accomplish more than speed or physical ability alone.

Aboa a ɔnni dua no, Nyame na ɔpra ne ho.

“For the animal that has no tail, it is God who swats the flies from its body.”

The powerless and vulnerable are cared for by a higher power when no one else will help them.

Borɔfere a ɛyɛ dɛ na abaa da ase.

“It is the sweetest pawpaw that has a stick placed beneath it.”

Things of true value attract attention and are worth the trouble of protecting.

Obi nnim a, obi kyerɛ.

“If one person does not know, another will teach them.”

No one is born knowing everything; knowledge passes from person to person.

Abɔfra huhuu ne nsa hohoro a, ɔne mpanyimfoɔ didi.

“When a child learns to wash his hands well, he eats with the elders.”

Maturity and good conduct earn a person greater respect and privilege.

Wo nsa akyi bɛyɛ wo dɛ a, ɛnte sɛ wo nsa yam.

“However sweet the back of your hand becomes to you, it is never as sweet as your palm.”

Nothing elsewhere compares to the comfort and loyalty found at home, among your own people.

Wohunu sɛ wo yɔnko abɔdwesɛ rehye a, wosa nsuo si wo deɛ ho.

“If you see your neighbor's beard on fire, fetch water and keep it close to your own.”

Learn caution from the misfortunes of others before the same trouble reaches you.

Dua a ɛneya wo a ɛbɛwɔ w'ani no, yɛtu asɛe.

“One does not sharpen the very stick that will one day pierce his own eye.”

Avoid feeding or strengthening a danger that will eventually turn on you.

Nea ɔwɔ aka no pɛn no suro sonsono.

“One who has been bitten by a snake fears even the earthworm.”

A painful past experience makes a person cautious even about harmless things afterward.

Owuo atwedeɛ, baakofoɔ mforo.

“Death's ladder is not climbed by one person alone.”

Death comes to everyone in turn; no one is spared or climbs it in isolation.

Nsuo a ɛdɔ wo na ɛkɔ w'ahina mu.

“It is the water that loves you that fills your pot.”

True care and loyalty show themselves through action, not mere words.

Dua kɔntɔnkyitɔnkyi na ɛma yɛhunu odwumfoɔ.

“It is the most crooked piece of wood that reveals the true skill of the carver.”

Difficult challenges are what truly reveal a person's talent and character.

Ahwenepa nkasa.

“Fine beads do not make noise.”

True quality and worth do not need to announce themselves loudly.

Kwan tia yɛ musuo.

“The short path is a curse.”

Shortcuts and dishonest quick methods bring misfortune rather than lasting success.

Woto aduro bɔne a, ebi ka w'ano.

“If you brew poison for someone else, some of it will touch your own lips.”

Schemes meant to harm others often end up harming the one who planned them.

Deɛ ɔretwa ɛkwan no nnim sɛ n'akyi akyea.

“The one who is cutting the path ahead does not know that his own back is bent.”

It is often easier to see other people's faults clearly than to see one's own.

Abɛ bi rebɛwu a, na ɛso.

“It is when a palm tree is about to die that it gives its best wine.”

Sometimes the finest results come at the end of a long struggle or hardship.

Se wo werɛ fi na wosankɔfa a yɛnkyi.

“It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.”

There is no shame in returning to the past to reclaim wisdom or values left behind, in order to move forward wisely — the root of the Sankofa symbol.

Ese ne tekrema.

“The teeth and the tongue fight, yet they still work together to help the mouth eat.”

Even close partners who sometimes clash must still cooperate for their shared wellbeing.

Obenyansafoɔ yɛbu no bɛ, yɛnka no asɛm.

“To the wise person, we speak in proverbs, not in plain words.”

A person of understanding grasps meaning from subtle hints and does not need everything spelled out directly.

Hu m'ani so ma me nti na atwe mmienu nam.

“It is because of 'watch over me' that two antelopes walk together.”

Looking out for one another is a good reason for people to stay together and cooperate.

Agoro bɛso a, ɛfiri anɔpa.

“If a celebration is going to be lively, it begins early in the morning.”

The early signs of an effort often reveal how it will ultimately turn out.

Etua wo yɔnko ho a etua dua mu.

“What pains your neighbor's body is felt as though it were in a tree.”

True empathy means feeling for others as though their pain were your own.

Obi fom kum a, yɛnfom nnwa.

“If someone kills by mistake, one does not then butcher by mistake as well.”

One wrong should not be answered by compounding it with another wrong.

Tenten rɛtɔ, tiatia rɛtɔ; yɛrenom nsa na yɛrefa adwen.

“The tall are contributing, the short are contributing; as we drink together, we deliberate together.”

Community decisions and progress are strongest when everyone takes part, regardless of standing.

Yɛtu wo fo na wontie a, wokɔ Anteade.

“If you are counseled and refuse to listen, you will end up at Anteade.”

Ignoring wise advice leads a person into trouble that could have been avoided.

Hwimhwim adeɛ kɔ srɔsrɔ.

“What comes easily also goes easily.”

Things gained without effort are rarely kept for long.

Nwansena nni hwee koraa ɔposa ne nsam.

“Even when the housefly has nothing at all, it still rubs its hands together.”

A confident spirit persists even in the face of having little or nothing.

“Seek ye first the political kingdom, and all things shall be added unto it.”

Nkrumah's rallying principle that political independence and self-government must come first, since economic and social progress would follow from it.

“If you, the men of Asante, will not go forward, then we will. We, the women, will fight until the last of us falls on the battlefield.”

Yaa Asantewaa's declaration rallying the Asante to resist British colonial rule when the male chiefs hesitated, becoming a lasting symbol of courage and women's leadership.

“Not to know is bad; not to wish to know is worse.”

Ignorance is a fault, but a stubborn refusal to learn is a far greater one.

“By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed.”

Slowness to learn or act means missing the opportunity entirely.

“It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man.”

The quietest dangers are often the most deadly; do not be deceived by a peaceful surface.

“A roaring lion kills no game.”

Loud boasting achieves nothing; quiet action accomplishes what noise cannot.

“The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.”

A society is only as strong as the values and discipline instilled within its families.

“When the roots of a tree begin to decay, it spreads death to the branches.”

Corruption or weakness at the foundation eventually destroys everything built upon it.

“When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him.”

Children absorb the habits and character of those who raise and guide them.

“He who cannot dance will say the drummer is bad.”

People who fail at something often blame others rather than admit their own shortcomings.