Umuntu abozinuka amakhwapha.
“Let a person first smell their own armpits.”
Before judging others, one should recognise one's own faults.
— Traditional Zimbabwe Wisdom, Zimbabwe
Source: Traditional Ndebele proverb, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Zimbabwe
When the beard catches fire, men help put out one another's.
In times of real trouble everyone needs help from others; no one manages a crisis entirely alone.
Traditional Zimbabwe Wisdom
Read more →
What has horns cannot be wrapped up in a bundle of grass.
The truth cannot stay concealed forever; sooner or later it reveals itself.
Traditional Zimbabwe Wisdom
Read more →
The little dish that is sent out returns from the very place it was sent.
Kindness shown to others tends to come back to the one who gave it first.
Traditional Zimbabwe Wisdom
Read more →
Pumpkins fall to those who have no pot to cook them in.
Good fortune sometimes lands on people who are not prepared to make the most of it.
Traditional Zimbabwe Wisdom
Read more →
A poor man never manages to kill an animal with a fine hide.
Poverty has a way of reinforcing itself, denying the poor even the rare stroke of luck.
Traditional Zimbabwe Wisdom
Read more →
One who has already died no longer fears decay.
Once a person has committed fully to a course of action, there is no turning back from its consequences.
Traditional Zimbabwe Wisdom
Read more →