Aelōñ kein ad ej aelōñ in manit.
“Our islands are cultural islands.”
Marshallese identity, education, and leadership are inseparable from culture and tradition (manit) — the islands themselves are defined by their customs.
— Traditional Marshall Islands Wisdom, Marshall Islands
Source: Traditional Marshall Islands proverb, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Marshall Islands
Seeking knowledge guarantees wisdom.
Actively pursuing knowledge and skill, rather than waiting passively, is what leads a person to true wisdom and competence.
Haste makes waste.
Acting too quickly and carelessly leads to mistakes and spoiled results.
Look up to the frigate bird.
A call to follow and respect the guidance of the traditional chief (iroij), much as a sailor tracks the frigate bird for direction at sea.
Stare and eat flies.
Said of someone who idles about with mouth open and eyes wandering, gaining nothing but flies — a warning against aimless idleness and inattention.
The sky will fall on you — you cannot escape.
No one can escape fate or the consequences of their own actions; what is destined will eventually catch up with a person.
The ship that leaves will return, but the person who leaves will never return.
A voyage always brings a traveler home again, but death is a departure with no return — a reflection on mortality and the finality of loss.