Dem dat come een wid shoes is wus dan dem come een barefoot.
“Those who come in with shoes are worse than those who come in barefoot.”
Newcomers or recent converts to a cause are often more extreme than those who have long belonged to it.
— Traditional Virgin Islands Wisdom, U.S. Virgin Islands
Source: Traditional U.S. Virgin Islands proverb, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from U.S. Virgin Islands
A crab never forgets its hole.
There is no place like home; people never truly forget where they came from.
Traditional Virgin Islands Wisdom
Read more →
All fish bite, but the shark gets the blame.
Those with a history of bad behavior are blamed first, even when others are equally guilty.
Traditional Virgin Islands Wisdom
Read more →
Dirty hands make a greasy mouth.
Hard work brings its own reward; those who labor will eat well.
Traditional Virgin Islands Wisdom
Read more →
Dirty water will put out fire.
Everything has its use, however humble or unclean it may seem.
Traditional Virgin Islands Wisdom
Read more →
Studyation is better than education.
Common sense and lived wisdom can matter more than formal schooling.
Traditional Virgin Islands Wisdom
Read more →
Every day is a fishing day, but not every day is a catching day.
Effort must be made consistently, even though results are not guaranteed every time.
Traditional Virgin Islands Wisdom
Read more →