Guinea-Bissau Proverbs (23)

“Singing 'Halleluia' everywhere does not prove piety.”

Loud public displays of religious devotion do not necessarily reflect genuine faith or character.

“Saying that it's for her child, she gets herself a loaf of bread.”

People sometimes use others, especially children, as a convenient excuse to serve their own wants.

“What one hopes for is always better than what one has.”

People tend to imagine that what they lack or wish for is more satisfying than what they already possess.

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

Being slow to understand or act often means missing the opportunity entirely.

“No one tests the depth of a river with both feet unless he is prepared to swim.”

Only commit fully to a risk once you are ready to face its full consequences.

“If all seeds that fall were to grow, then no one could follow the path under the trees.”

Not every attempt or opportunity should succeed; some failure keeps balance and order in life.

“The stomach has no holiday.”

Basic needs such as hunger never pause, no matter the celebrations or circumstances around you.

“The wealth of the greedy ultimately goes to the community.”

Riches hoarded selfishly tend, in the end, to be scattered back among the people.

“The bitter heart eats its owner.”

Holding onto resentment and bitterness harms the person who carries it more than anyone else.

“If you look at a king's mouth, you will never think that he ever sucked his mother's breast.”

Power and status can make people forget, or hide, that everyone begins life the same, humble way.

“The man on his feet carries off the share of the man sitting down.”

Those who stay active and ready reap the rewards that the passive and idle miss.

“Around a flowering tree, one finds many insects.”

Success or beauty naturally attracts attention, admirers, and sometimes unwanted company.

“When a needle falls into a deep well, many people will look into the well but few will be ready to go down after it.”

Many are curious about a problem, but few are willing to do the hard work needed to solve it.

“Too much discussion means a quarrel.”

Prolonged arguing over a matter tends to turn disagreement into open conflict.

“Two flavors confuse the palate.”

Trying to pursue two things at once makes it hard to judge or commit fully to either.

“He who talks incessantly talks nonsense.”

Speaking too much, without restraint, eventually leads to careless or foolish words.

“Their mosquito won't bite me.”

People often dismiss a danger or hardship as long as it has not yet touched them personally.

“If a dead tree falls, it carries with it a live one.”

Misfortune or wrongdoing rarely stays contained; it often harms innocent people nearby as well.

“It is the toothless animal that arrives first at the base of the fruit tree to eat his fill before others arrive.”

Those with a disadvantage can still come out ahead through timing, patience, and initiative.

“A man with too much ambition cannot sleep in peace.”

Excessive ambition brings constant worry and denies a person real rest or contentment.

“It is not the dirty looks of the crocodile that will stop your canoe from crossing the river.”

Intimidation and threatening looks should not stop you from a course you are determined to take.

“Tell no lies, claim no easy victories, watch that language.”

A directive to PAIGC cadres to remain honest, avoid propaganda, and speak plainly with the people they served.

“The people are not fighting for ideas, for the things in anyone's head. They are fighting to win material benefits, to live better and in peace, to see their lives go forward, to guarantee the future of their children.”

Cabral's reminder that a liberation struggle must be judged by real improvements in people's daily lives, not by abstract ideology.