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Mayotte — quotes, proverbs & wisdom

Real words from the people of Mayotte, each with a verified source. New quotes are added as each is fact-checked.

Proverbs

Mbe kali mbe.

“A cow does not eat another cow.”

One should not turn against or harm someone of one's own kind.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Ye woulimo djouwani ngou djo la mvoulini.

“Whoever cultivates under the sun will eat in the shade.”

Hard work done now prepares comfort and reward later.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Yeka ngo wandzo wouhame mbe, mdru ykouwa le dingo.

“If you want to milk a cow, scratch its back first.”

Kindness and courtesy open the way to receiving favors from others.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Mafoura yo houheya ha madji.

“It is with water that oil is made.”

Nothing valuable is produced without patient, careful effort.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Fouwou dzima kali foussou nda.

“A single fingernail cannot crush a louse.”

People working alone accomplish far less than people working together.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Oulime kaouna shiba.

“The tongue has no bone.”

Speech is flexible and can be twisted to serve whoever is speaking, so words should be weighed carefully.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Mdwa ngoma ndo ngomani.

“The dance step comes with the dancing.”

Skill is developed through practice and doing, not by waiting to feel ready.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Ye ziwoungo za mdrou tsi andui.

“Your body is not your enemy.”

A person should care for and listen to their own body and well-being rather than mistreat it.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Ye wandzo yende kawono houle.

“Whoever wants to go far does not look at the distance.”

Big goals are reached by focusing on the next step rather than being discouraged by how far away the destination looks.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Ya houva yiri shambo.

“The little fish that grew big did not swim toward the hook.”

Those who survive hardship and grow strong do so by learning caution from the dangers they escaped.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Komale male ya tso nantsa.

“Every length has an end.”

No hardship or difficult period lasts forever; everything eventually comes to a close.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Kapvana kali kali latsoshindwa ni djiyoni.

“There is no blazing sun that does not bow before the evening.”

Even the harshest circumstances eventually soften and pass with time.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Ngama hagnoi ya tsimba mhono ka chindi ou fikiza.

“The hole your mouth has dug, your hands cannot fill back in.”

Harm done through careless words cannot always be undone by later good deeds.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Deya djamba ngou diwazo chaya deya hichia katsou diwaza.

“The one who caused the offense forgets, but the one who felt it does not.”

Those who cause harm move on quickly, while those who were hurt by it remember for far longer.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Proverbes comoriens (Première série)", YSIA (ysia.e-monsite.com)

Dzitso la munyabo kali honesa.

“A true friend's eye does not expose you.”

Real friends tell you the truth honestly and privately rather than embarrassing you in front of others.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb (Shikomori oral tradition, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte), as recorded in "Cinq proverbes comoriens sur l'amour et l'amitié", Nofi Média, 2018 (nofi.media)

Yeyi poisiwa hale ndrabo.

“She who has been engaged too long ends up abandoned.”

Commitments left unfulfilled for too long tend to fall apart.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Landa hamba kapvwana mzaha wa dufini.

“The hedgehog says there is no joking about the backside.”

Some matters are serious and should not be treated carelessly or lightly.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Ye shema ndeshi fayidisho mdru.

“What is beautiful is what is useful to a person.”

True value lies in usefulness and benefit, not merely in outward appearance.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Wowa yenshiyo pvwadzima do wa manawo.

“Only those who live together quarrel.”

Close relationships and daily proximity naturally bring friction, which is a sign of closeness rather than enmity.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“You can win a woman with lies but you cannot feed her with lies.”

Deception may win someone over at first, but it cannot sustain a relationship over time.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Source: Traditional Comorian proverb, shared Comoro Islands heritage including Mayotte, public-domain oral tradition, as recorded in the Comoros country profile, African Proverbs in African Literature project (proverbsafricanliterature.wordpress.com)

“If you live in the river you should make friends with the crocodile.”

Wisdom means adapting to one's environment and making peace with the powers within it.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“A beggar won't mind being insulted; a beggar who cannot take insults will go hungry.”

Survival sometimes requires humility and the patience to endure hardship without pride getting in the way.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“A chicken with beautiful plumage does not sit in a corner.”

Talent and beauty naturally draw attention and cannot stay hidden for long.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“A fool and water will go the way they are diverted.”

Someone without firm judgment can easily be led wherever others choose to direct them.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“A nose alone does not lead.”

No single part or person can govern alone; leadership needs cooperation with the whole.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“A slippery person is not a king.”

A leader who cannot be trusted or held to their word does not deserve authority.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“A thread follows the path of the needle.”

What follows is shaped by whoever leads or acts first.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“A whistle will not call back a dog that has escaped from the leash.”

Some actions, once taken, cannot be reversed no matter how much one wishes otherwise.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“Where there are riches, thieves abound; if the riches are large, the thieves are as big.”

Wealth attracts opportunists and corruption in proportion to its size.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“If you steal while you carry your son on your back, you teach him to steal.”

Children learn their values primarily by watching the example set by their parents.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“The spider moves only inside its web.”

People operate best, and with the most authority, within their own domain of skill and experience.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“The elephant never abandons his tusks on the road, however heavy they may be.”

A person does not abandon the responsibilities or burdens that truly belong to them, however difficult.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

“Death is like an eagle that snatches away a chick and leaves its mother in tears.”

Death arrives suddenly and without warning, leaving grief behind.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom

Un voyage prévu pour demain se prépare aujourd'hui.

“A journey planned for tomorrow is prepared today.”

Good preparation in advance is what makes a future undertaking succeed.

Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom