Saint Kitts & Nevis Proverbs (50)

“What sweet in goat mouth is sour in he tail.”

An action that feels pleasurable in the moment can bring painful consequences later on.

“One one coco full basket.”

Small contributions added one at a time eventually fill up to something substantial.

“Time longer than twine.”

There is more time ahead than people realize, so there is no need to rush or despair.

“Play with puppy, puppy lick your mouth.”

Being too familiar or careless with people beneath your guard invites disrespect.

“Monkey know what tree to climb.”

People instinctively know who they can take advantage of, and who will treat them kindly.

“Every day the bucket goes to the well, one day the bottom will drop out.”

Repeating risky or dishonest behavior eventually leads to failure or exposure.

“When your neighbour's house is on fire, wet your own.”

When trouble strikes nearby, take precautions to protect yourself before it spreads to you.

“Little axe fell big tree.”

Small, sustained efforts can eventually accomplish something that looks impossibly large.

“Rain doesn't fall to wet one man only.”

Hardship, like rain, tends to fall on everyone in a community, not just a single person.

“Cuss-cuss doesn't bore a hole in the skin.”

Harsh words may sting, but they cannot cause the lasting physical harm that actions can.

“Every skin teeth is not a laugh.”

A smile does not always signal true friendliness; some grins hide other intentions.

“You can't get blood out of a stone.”

You cannot obtain help, money, or sympathy from someone or something that has none to give.

“Cockroach has no business in a fowl fight.”

A weaker party should stay out of a conflict between two much stronger sides.

“An empty bag cannot stand up straight.”

A person who is hungry, poor, or exhausted cannot be expected to perform or behave normally.

“What is for you cannot be un-for you.”

What is destined to be yours will come to you, and what is not will not, no matter what you do.

“New broom sweep clean, but old broom know the corner.”

A newcomer often works with visible energy, but only long experience truly knows every hidden detail of the job.

“Sorry for maga dog, maga dog turn round bite you.”

Excessive pity for someone who seems weak or needy can sometimes be repaid with harm.

“Cow doesn't know the use of its own tail until the fly cuts it off.”

People often fail to appreciate the value of something until it is taken away from them.

“The fowl that crows at night, hawk catches him by day.”

Reckless boasting or drawing too much attention to yourself invites trouble later on.

“Two bulls can't reign in one pen.”

Two strong-willed leaders cannot share authority over the same space without conflict.

“What is joke to you is death to me.”

What seems trivial or funny to one person may represent real hardship or pain to another.

“The higher the monkey climbs, the more he exposes.”

The more prominence or power a person gains, the more their weaknesses and flaws become visible to others.

“Every day the devil helps the thief, but one day God will help the watchman.”

Wrongdoing may go unpunished for a while, but justice eventually catches up with it.

“If you can't catch Quaco, catch his shirt.”

When you cannot get exactly what you want, settle for whatever is close enough to it.

“Wanti wanti cyaan getti getti, getti getti nuh wanti wanti.”

Those who desire something most often cannot obtain it, while those who already have it may not even want it.

“The man is not dead, don't call him a duppy.”

Do not treat a person, or a situation, as finished or defeated before it truly is.

“Trouble doesn't set like rain.”

Unlike rain, which can be seen coming, misfortune often strikes without any warning at all.

“The sea has no back door.”

Some dangers or situations are so vast and encompassing that there is no easy way to escape them.

“Ashes fly back in the face of the one who throws them.”

Harmful intentions or actions often end up rebounding on the very person who caused them.

“The sun is shining, but the tide is rising.”

Circumstances may appear fine on the surface even while danger is quietly building underneath.

“Every hoe has its stick in the bush.”

Everyone, no matter how difficult, eventually finds someone or something that suits them.

“Craven choke puppy.”

Excessive greed ultimately leads to one's own downfall.

“Fire deh a mus mus tail, him think a cool breeze.”

A person in real danger may not even realize the seriousness of the trouble they are in.

“Coward man keep sound bones.”

Caution, even when it looks unheroic, is often what keeps a person safe from harm.

“One finger can't pick up a stone.”

Some tasks are too large to accomplish alone and require cooperation from others.

“Behind dog is dog, before dog is Mister Dog.”

People often show false respect to your face while treating you with contempt behind your back.

“Puss and dog don't have the same luck.”

Different people are dealt different fortunes in life, and outcomes are never equal for everyone.

“You can't hide a big belly under a skinny dress.”

The truth eventually becomes impossible to conceal, no matter how hard someone tries to hide it.

“Don't put your hand where you can't take it back.”

Avoid getting entangled in situations or commitments you won't easily be able to escape from.

“The cow that has no tail, God brushes away his flies.”

Those who lack the means to help themselves are often looked after by providence or by others.

“What you don't know is older than you.”

There is always wisdom and experience beyond your own understanding that deserves respect and attention.

“The ants who follow the procession go into the pot.”

Blindly following a crowd without thinking for yourself can lead a person straight into trouble.

“Hard-ears pickney nuh hear, dem feel it.”

A stubborn child who refuses good advice will only learn the lesson through hard experience.

“You can't run away from your own shadow.”

Certain truths about who you are, or your own past, will always follow you no matter how far you go.

“Teck sleep, mark death.”

Treat every warning sign seriously, because complacency in the face of danger can lead to disaster.

“No cup break, no coffee throw away.”

As long as no real damage has been done, there is no reason to give up on something prematurely.

“Jackass say the world is not level.”

Life is inherently unfair, and inequality is simply part of how the world works.

“The empty barrel makes the most noise.”

People who talk the loudest or boast the most often have the least substance behind their words.

“One-eye man is king in blind man country.”

Someone with even a small advantage or ability can become a leader in an environment where others have far less.

“Bad mind never get fat.”

Harbouring jealousy or ill will toward others does not bring prosperity to the one who holds it.