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.

Uwawa, taimina.

“He who falls does not rise on his own.”

A person in difficulty needs the help of others; community support is essential in hardship.

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.

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.