Traditional Guinea-Bissau Wisdom

“Singing 'Halleluia' everywhere does not prove piety.”

Loud public displays of religious devotion do not necessarily reflect genuine faith or character.

“Saying that it's for her child, she gets herself a loaf of bread.”

People sometimes use others, especially children, as a convenient excuse to serve their own wants.

“What one hopes for is always better than what one has.”

People tend to imagine that what they lack or wish for is more satisfying than what they already possess.

“By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed.”

Being slow to understand or act often means missing the opportunity entirely.

“No one tests the depth of a river with both feet unless he is prepared to swim.”

Only commit fully to a risk once you are ready to face its full consequences.

“If all seeds that fall were to grow, then no one could follow the path under the trees.”

Not every attempt or opportunity should succeed; some failure keeps balance and order in life.

“The stomach has no holiday.”

Basic needs such as hunger never pause, no matter the celebrations or circumstances around you.

“The wealth of the greedy ultimately goes to the community.”

Riches hoarded selfishly tend, in the end, to be scattered back among the people.

“The bitter heart eats its owner.”

Holding onto resentment and bitterness harms the person who carries it more than anyone else.

“If you look at a king's mouth, you will never think that he ever sucked his mother's breast.”

Power and status can make people forget, or hide, that everyone begins life the same, humble way.

“The man on his feet carries off the share of the man sitting down.”

Those who stay active and ready reap the rewards that the passive and idle miss.

“Around a flowering tree, one finds many insects.”

Success or beauty naturally attracts attention, admirers, and sometimes unwanted company.

“When a needle falls into a deep well, many people will look into the well but few will be ready to go down after it.”

Many are curious about a problem, but few are willing to do the hard work needed to solve it.

“Too much discussion means a quarrel.”

Prolonged arguing over a matter tends to turn disagreement into open conflict.

“Two flavors confuse the palate.”

Trying to pursue two things at once makes it hard to judge or commit fully to either.

“He who talks incessantly talks nonsense.”

Speaking too much, without restraint, eventually leads to careless or foolish words.

“Their mosquito won't bite me.”

People often dismiss a danger or hardship as long as it has not yet touched them personally.

“If a dead tree falls, it carries with it a live one.”

Misfortune or wrongdoing rarely stays contained; it often harms innocent people nearby as well.

“It is the toothless animal that arrives first at the base of the fruit tree to eat his fill before others arrive.”

Those with a disadvantage can still come out ahead through timing, patience, and initiative.

“A man with too much ambition cannot sleep in peace.”

Excessive ambition brings constant worry and denies a person real rest or contentment.

“It is not the dirty looks of the crocodile that will stop your canoe from crossing the river.”

Intimidation and threatening looks should not stop you from a course you are determined to take.

Baga baga i ka ten tarsadu, ma i ta korta paja.

“The termite has no machete, yet it cuts through the grass.”

Lacking the obvious tools for a task does not stop the determined from accomplishing it.

Baka ki ka ten rabu, Deus ta banal.

“To the cow that has no tail, God himself fans away the flies.”

Providence looks after those who lack the means to help themselves.

Bianda di kaleron ka ten dunu.

“Food in the cooking pot has no owner.”

Once food is prepared it belongs to whoever is present to share it, reflecting a culture of hospitality.

Boka ficadu ka ta ientra moska.

“No flies enter a closed mouth.”

Restraint in speech protects a person from the trouble that careless words can invite.

Burguñu i ma morti.

“Shame is worse than death.”

Living with dishonor is regarded as a heavier burden than dying.

Deus fala: pui mon, N judau.

“God said: do your part, and I will help you.”

Divine or outside help comes to those who first make their own honest effort.

Dinti mora ku lingu, ma i ta daju i murdil.

“The teeth live together with the tongue, yet sometimes they bite it.”

Even those closest to us, like family or friends, can sometimes cause us pain.

Dun di boka i ka ta pirdi si kami~u.

“He who has a mouth does not lose his way.”

A person willing to ask for directions or help will always find the right path.

E fila suma gatu ku kacur.

“They get along like cat and dog.”

Describes two people or parties who are in constant conflict with one another.

Fiju di gatu ta ra~a.

“The kitten scratches too.”

Children tend to inherit the nature and habits of their parents.

Firminga ka ta janti, ma i ta ciga.

“The ant does not take the lead, but it still arrives.”

Slow, steady effort reaches the goal even without being first.

Gali~a ta guarda si frangas bas di si asa.

“The hen shelters her chicks beneath her wings.”

A parent's instinct is to protect and cover their children from harm.

Gatu fartu ka ta montia.

“A well-fed cat does not hunt.”

Comfort and satisfaction can remove a person's drive to keep striving.

Kabra rispitadu pa bia di si barba.

“The goat is respected because of its beard.”

Outward signs of status or seniority can command respect on their own.

Kin ku ta durmi ka ta pa~a pis.

“He who sleeps does not catch fish.”

Diligence is required for success; laziness yields nothing.

Kama ku bu ka dita nel, bu ka sibi si ten dabi.

“You cannot know whether a bed you have never slept in has bedbugs.”

It is unwise to judge a situation or relationship you have not personally experienced.

Kasa beju ka ta falta barata.

“An old house never lacks cockroaches.”

Long-standing places, families, or institutions inevitably accumulate their share of problems.

Ken ki ka ta coranta si fiju, ama~a si fiju ta corantal.

“He who does not make his child cry now will one day be made to cry by his child.”

Failing to discipline a child in the present brings greater sorrow later in life.

Kin ku misti pis, i ta ba moja rabada na iagu.

“He who wants fish must be willing to wet his backside in the water.”

Achieving results requires personal effort, discomfort, and risk, not wishing alone.

Kuri ku kosa juju ka ta ndianta.

“One cannot run and scratch one's knee at the same time.”

Some tasks cannot be done at once; a person must give full attention to one thing at a time.

Lifanti ka pirgisa ku si dinti.

“The elephant is never worn out by carrying its own tusks.”

A person is not burdened by carrying what is naturally their own responsibility, such as family.

Lubu kuma i ka son kusa sabi ki ta incisi bariga.

“The hyena says it is not only tasty things that fill the belly.”

Necessity sometimes requires accepting what is unpleasant, not merely what is preferred.

Manpatas kru ta kai, kusidu ta kai.

“The mampatás fruit falls to the ground whether it is ripe or still green.”

Death or misfortune can come to the young as well as the old; no age guarantees safety.

Na no kombersa, ka bu pui boka, pui oreja.

“In our conversation, offer your ear, not your mouth.”

It is wiser to listen carefully than to interrupt, especially when elders are speaking.

Onsa, tudu brabu ki brabu, i ka ta sibi pe di kabasera.

“However fierce the leopard may be, it still cannot climb the baobab tree.”

Even the strongest or fiercest have limits to what they are able to do.

Papagaiu ta kume miju, pirikitu ta paga fama.

“The parrot eats the corn, and the parakeet gets the blame.”

The wrong party is sometimes blamed or punished for another's wrongdoing.

Piskadur k' torkia si kanua pa kabalu, i sibi ke k' manda.

“The fisherman who trades his canoe for a horse knows his own reasons.”

People have their own reasons for choices that may look strange to outsiders, so judgment should be withheld.