Mayo mpapa, na ine nkakupapa.

“Mother, carry me, and I too will carry you.”

The young have a duty to care for their elders just as they were once cared for in infancy.

Akaboko, kakonka akabiye.

“One arm follows the other arm.”

Kindness shown to others tends to be returned in kind, in due course.

Apali umunwe, e pali ibala.

“Where there is a finger, there is a cultivated field.”

Success and abundance are the result of dedicated effort, not chance.

Abalya imbulu, balapalamana.

“Those who eat water monitor lizards are found sitting close together.”

People who share the same tastes and interests naturally gather and stay close to one another.

Imbwa ya mukali, taicenjela.

“A dog belonging to a harsh master does not grow wise.”

Excessive harshness in discipline is counterproductive and fails to build real understanding.

Mumuchima wamukwenu munkundwe.

“Your friend's heart is a wilderness.”

No one can ever fully know what truly lies within another person, however close the friendship.