Quand l'eau monte, ce n'est pas la peine de tirer la pirogue à la mer.
“When the water is already rising, there is no need to drag the canoe out to sea.”
When circumstances already favor you, there is no need to force extra effort.
— Traditional Mayotte & Comoros Wisdom, Mayotte
Source: Traditional Mahorais proverb (Shimaore oral tradition, Mayotte), as recorded in "Les proverbes de Mayotte", proverbes-francais.fr, drawn from the 1996 Dictionnaire mahorais
More Proverbs from Mayotte
A cow does not eat another cow.
One should not turn against or harm someone of one's own kind.
Whoever cultivates under the sun will eat in the shade.
Hard work done now prepares comfort and reward later.
If you want to milk a cow, scratch its back first.
Kindness and courtesy open the way to receiving favors from others.
It is with water that oil is made.
Nothing valuable is produced without patient, careful effort.
A single fingernail cannot crush a louse.
People working alone accomplish far less than people working together.
The tongue has no bone.
Speech is flexible and can be twisted to serve whoever is speaking, so words should be weighed carefully.