“A saying from the cassowary to her chicks: whatever falls from above is always the fruit of the tree — take and eat it, but avoid anything that comes to you from the ground, for it will bring you harm.”
Accept correction from those who point out your mistakes; be wary of those who conceal them, for they lead you to harm.
— Traditional Papua New Guinea Wisdom, Papua New Guinea
Source: Traditional Papua New Guinea proverb (Mount Hagen region); collected in Ted and Rachel Henderson, "PNG Proverbs," missionary blog (2015), from Papua New Guinea College of Nursing students at Kudjip for World Trade Press AtoZ World Culture
More Proverbs from Papua New Guinea
Rise up from the ashes.
A message of hope and resilience adopted after the Bougainville conflict, encouraging recovery and a better, self-determined future.
Do what you can, and God will take care of what you cannot do.
Effort paired with faith is enough; divine grace is trusted to complete what human strength alone cannot finish.
Time cannot come back again. It goes, and it goes completely.
Time, once spent, can never be recovered or reused, so it should not be wasted.
Money is not life.
Wealth is secondary to caring for the true needs of family and loved ones.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but the word of the Lord will never pass away.
Earthly things are temporary, but God's word is held to endure forever.
The container filled with water breaks right at the door.
A long effort or investment can still fail at the very last moment, right before it is completed.