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“Even an enemy who comes to your door as a guest must be fed.”

Steppe hospitality custom held that the duty to feed and shelter a traveler overrides personal quarrels, extending even to a rival.

— Traditional Kazakhstan Wisdom, Kazakhstan

Source: Traditional Kazakhstan proverb, public-domain oral tradition

More Proverbs from Kazakhstan

Бес саусақ бірдей емес.

“The five fingers of a hand are not equal.”

People differ from one another, and each should be judged and treated as an individual.

Source: Traditional Kazakhstan proverb, public-domain oral tradition

Отансыз адам — ормансыз бұлбұл.

“A person without a homeland is like a nightingale without a grove.”

A person's identity and spirit are rooted in their homeland; without it, life feels empty.

Source: Traditional Kazakhstan proverb, public-domain oral tradition

“Knowledge is a treasure that never runs out.”

Unlike material wealth, learning and wisdom only grow the more they are used and shared.

Source: Traditional Kazakhstan proverb, public-domain oral tradition

“He who works without laziness will have a full stomach without begging.”

Honest, diligent labor provides for a person's needs; idleness leads to want.

Source: Traditional Kazakhstan proverb, public-domain oral tradition

“The horse is a man's wings.”

In nomadic steppe life the horse was essential to survival, travel, and honor, so it is prized as a man's truest companion.

Source: Traditional Kazakhstan proverb, public-domain oral tradition

“A friend's words may make you cry, an enemy's words may make you laugh.”

A true friend tells hard truths for your benefit, while an enemy flatters you to your harm.

Source: Traditional Kazakhstan proverb, public-domain oral tradition