“A slippery person is not a king.”
A leader who cannot be trusted or pinned down does not deserve authority over others.
— Traditional Comoros Wisdom, Comoros
Source: Traditional Comoros proverb, public-domain oral tradition; recorded in "African Proverbs in African Literature" (Comoros country profile, proverbsafricanliterature.wordpress.com)
More Proverbs from Comoros
You can win a woman with lies, but you cannot feed her with lies.
Deception may attract someone at first, but only real substance and honesty can sustain a relationship over time.
If you live in the river, you should make friends with the crocodile.
Make peace with the powerful forces that share your environment, since you cannot avoid living alongside them.
A beggar will not mind being insulted; a beggar who cannot take insults will go hungry.
Necessity requires humility — those in genuine need must set pride aside in order to survive.
A chicken with beautiful plumage does not sit in a corner.
Genuine quality or talent naturally draws attention and cannot remain hidden away.
A fool and water will go the way they are diverted.
A person without sound judgment is easily led wherever others choose to direct them.
A nose alone does not lead.
No single sense or ability is sufficient by itself; sound guidance needs more than one source.