Traditional Congo-Brazzaville Wisdom

“All monkeys cannot hang on the same branch.”

People differ in ability and status; not everyone can occupy the same position at once.

“If one is roasting two potatoes, one of them is bound to get charred.”

When attention is divided between tasks, something is likely to be neglected or spoiled.

“If you walk with an elephant, the dew will not bother you.”

Association with someone powerful or wise offers protection from hardship.

“Even if skinny, an elephant dares not cross over a grass bridge.”

True strength is measured by more than appearance; even the mighty respect their real limits.

“When the monkey is chased away, the crazy baboon laughs.”

A fool mocks another's misfortune without realizing the same fate may await him.

“The lizard runs so fast that it overtakes its own hole.”

Excessive haste can cause a person to miss the very goal they were rushing toward.

“You can't blame the flea for foul-smelling when you crush it.”

Do not blame someone else for an unpleasant result that your own actions caused.

“If a lion eats a bad fellow today and it is not killed, tomorrow it will eat a good one.”

Failing to address a danger when it first appears allows it to harm the innocent later.

“If the trial concerns the forest, don't take a monkey as a judge.”

A judge or arbiter must be impartial, not someone with a personal stake in the outcome.

“There are no thorns on the road that leads to your beloved.”

Difficulty seems to vanish on the path toward what, or whom, we truly desire.

“The thief is the one who is caught.”

Guilt in the eyes of others often depends less on the wrongdoing itself than on being discovered.

“A thief is like a mouse: you catch him with a trap.”

Cunning wrongdoers require equally clever methods to be caught.

“The thief is clever, how much more must be the one who has to discover him?”

Catching wrongdoing demands even greater skill than committing it.

“A thief can detect the footmarks of another thief on a rock.”

Those who share a hidden trade recognize each other's methods instantly.

“A town will have problems when the guard is the thieves' leader.”

A community suffers most when the very people meant to protect it are corrupt.

“If you go on a robbing expedition, take a companion with you; later you may accuse him.”

Wrongdoers often plan in advance how to shift blame onto an accomplice.

“A thief does not speak ill of another thief.”

People who share the same faults tend to protect one another rather than expose the truth.

“If you roast the yam too much, it will be burnt.”

Overdoing even a good effort can ruin the result.

“If you have no teeth, do not break the clay cooking pot.”

Know your own limits before attempting a task you are not equipped for.

“If you attend to what is roasting, it will not be burnt.”

Careful attention prevents avoidable loss.

“If thou pound palm nuts, some will stain thy cloth.”

Certain kinds of work inevitably leave a mark on those who do them.

“If you are too modest, you will go hungry.”

Excessive humility can cost a person opportunities they genuinely deserve.

Mbula ebangaka mokonzi te.

“The rain does not fear the authority of a king.”

Natural forces and fundamental truths apply to everyone, regardless of rank or power.

Zela zela mokomboso azanga mokila.

“Because of waiting too long, the gorilla lost its tail.”

Excessive hesitation causes real loss.

Mwana bitinda akufaka nzala te.

“An obedient child never starves.”

Those who heed guidance and instruction are spared many hardships.

Tango mino ezali, buka mokuwa.

“While you still have teeth, break the bone.”

Make full use of your strength and opportunities while you still have them.

Bwato ya mawa ekatisaka ngambo te.

“A boat of pity never crosses the water.”

Sympathy alone accomplishes nothing without real action.

Soso pembe azangaka mboka te.

“In every village, there is a white chicken.”

Every community holds something, or someone, rare and distinctive.

Mbongo emonaka moyi ebotaka te.

“Money that only sees the sun will never multiply.”

Wealth left idle rather than put to productive use produces nothing.

Kokende liboso eza kokoma te.

“To go ahead does not mean you have arrived.”

Being first to start a task is not the same as completing it successfully.

Liso elandaka se eloko ba kopekisa.

“The eye always longs for what is forbidden.”

People are drawn most strongly to whatever they are told they cannot have.

Nyonso engengaka ezali pawuni te.

“Not everything that glitters is gold.”

Appearances can be deceiving; true worth is not always visible.

Monoko ya mokolo elumbaka solo.

“The mouth of an elder may smell, but it speaks words of wisdom.”

The counsel of elders deserves respect regardless of their outward frailty.

Mokonzi ya malamu aliyaka ngulu ya litoyi moko te.

“A good leader does not eat a pig with only one ear.”

A fair leader listens to both sides of a dispute before judging.

Nyongo ya pongi suka se ofuta.

“The debt of sleep must eventually be paid.”

Neglecting rest catches up with a person sooner or later.

Ndaku olalaka te okoyeba esika nayi etangaka te.

“You cannot know where a house leaks if you have never slept in it.”

True understanding comes only from direct experience, not from the outside.

Mboka na mboka eza na bakonzi na yango.

“Every village has its own leader.”

Each community has its own authority and customs, worthy of respect.

Tonga balokoti na lisano ebungaka kaka na lisano.

“A needle picked up during play is lost again during play.”

What is gained carelessly is often lost just as carelessly.

Batongaka ndako na mokolo moko te.

“A house is not built in a single day.”

Worthwhile achievements require patience and sustained effort.

Monoko ebomaka ndako na mokolo moko.

“The mouth can destroy a house in a single day.”

Careless words can ruin in an instant what took years to build.

Butu atako ewumeli, suka tongo ekotana.

“However long the night lasts, morning will always come.”

No hardship, however long it seems, lasts forever.

Soki obwaki soyi likolo ekozongela yo.

“If you spit into the air, it will fall back on you.”

Actions taken against others eventually return to the one who acted.

Ngongolo ya pamba esalaka makelele mingi.

“An empty barrel makes the most noise.”

Those with the least substance often talk the loudest.

Etumba ya banzoko, matiti nde enyokwanaka.

“When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”

Ordinary people bear the cost when the powerful clash.

Mboka ezanga mokonzi, ezanga mibeko.

“A land without leadership has no laws.”

Without governance and authority, order and justice cannot be maintained.

“A single bracelet does not jingle.”

True achievement requires cooperation; one person alone cannot accomplish everything.

“However far the stream flows, it never forgets its source.”

No matter how far one travels or how much one changes, one should never forget where they came from.

“It is the fish that begins to smell first at the head.”

Corruption or decay in an organization begins with its leaders, not its ordinary members.

“The chicken that is destined to be eaten by the hawk will not listen to advice.”

Someone determined to ignore warning and walk into danger cannot be saved by advice alone.

“No matter how long a log stays in the river, it never becomes a crocodile.”

A person's true nature does not change no matter how long they spend in a different environment.