“A snake that you can see does not bite.”
A visible, acknowledged danger can be managed; it is the hidden threat that harms you.
— Traditional Mozambique Wisdom, Mozambique
Source: Traditional Mozambique proverb, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Mozambique
You cannot dance well on only one leg.
Balance and full commitment are needed to do anything properly.
Traditional Mozambique Wisdom
Read more →
Slander spoken by the stream will be heard by the frogs.
Gossip and secrets always spread; nothing said in the open truly stays hidden.
Traditional Mozambique Wisdom
Read more →
On a dead tree there are no monkeys.
People gather where there is life and opportunity, not around what has already failed.
Traditional Mozambique Wisdom
Read more →
If you do not travel, you will marry your own sister.
Leaving home to see the wider world is essential; those who never leave stay narrow and limited.
Traditional Mozambique Wisdom
Read more →
Witch doctors do not sell their potions to each other.
True experts recognize their own kind and do not need to trade among themselves.
Traditional Mozambique Wisdom
Read more →
Once a man has been bitten by a lion, he buys a dog.
Painful experience teaches caution and leads people to take real precautions afterward.
Traditional Mozambique Wisdom
Read more →