Aḷḷañ im ṃōñā ḷọñ.
“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.
— 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.
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.
Our mothers forever; our fathers, and the fathers of others.
Honors the matrilineal foundation of Marshallese society, in which land rights, clan identity, and lineage descend permanently through the mother's line.