“You can put an axe back, but you can't put words back.”
Think carefully before speaking — unlike a tool, spoken words can never be retracted once said.
— pg-enga-tradition, Papua New Guinea
Source: The Boyds: Engan Proverbs (pngboyd.blogspot.com)
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.