Caa ke tang otr, caa ke tang wahep ke oloû hminya obanyen böhngöc.
“With no bag of lobsters and no bag of urchins either, he ends up with his finger bitten by a moray eel.”
Chasing too many opportunities at once, without settling on one, often leaves a person with nothing but harm to show for it.
— Traditional New Caledonia Wisdom, New Caledonia
Source: Traditional Iaai (Kanak, Ouvéa) proverb, collected from informant Helloa Saulo by Wejë Bae — Académie des Langues Kanak (ALK) corpus, 2012, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from New Caledonia
Do not reject the words of the elders.
The counsel of elders carries hard-won experience and should never be dismissed by the young.
The future is before you — do not turn back.
Face forward and keep moving toward what is ahead rather than dwelling on what is behind.
The bourao leaf is carried off by the current, not knowing where it goes.
A person without direction or purpose drifts through life at the mercy of circumstance, just like a leaf swept along by water.
The best defense against an enemy is to attack first.
Waiting passively for trouble to arrive is weaker than meeting a threat with decisive action.
Rid yourself of shame and timidity, and accomplish your will.
Excessive shyness or self-doubt holds people back; real progress requires the courage to act.
Think before you act.
Careful reflection before a decision prevents the regret that follows a hasty one.