Traditional Guyana Wisdom

Wha rain can't full, dew can't full.

“If the rain itself could not fill it, the dew certainly won't.”

If a sustained, serious effort already failed to achieve something, a smaller, lesser effort will not succeed where it did not.

Nah tek fiyah stick ah night for wha you can see in the day.

“Don't go looking for a firebrand at night for what you could plainly see in the day.”

Don't wait until it's too late, or make things needlessly difficult, when a warning sign was already clear all along.

Who does eat fiyah does shit cold.

“Whoever eats fire will pass something cold.”

If you ignore sound advice or take a reckless risk, you must live with whatever painful consequence follows.

Cat foot soft but he does scratch hard.

“The cat's paw is soft, but it scratches hard.”

A gentle, friendly appearance does not guarantee that a person is harmless or trustworthy.

If oil ah float, watah deh ah bottom.

“If oil is floating on top, you know there is water underneath.”

A single visible clue can reveal a much larger truth hidden beneath the surface.

After laugh come cry.

“After laughter comes crying.”

Moments of joy and ease are often followed, sooner or later, by hardship or sorrow.

Every bush ah man night time.

“At night, every bush looks like a man.”

Fear distorts perception, making ordinary things seem far more frightening or threatening than they really are.

Fish and cast-net nah friend.

“Fish and the cast-net are no friends.”

Some people, or some things, are simply natural adversaries and will never get along.

One one dutty does mek dam.

“One clump of earth at a time is what builds a dam.”

Small, steady contributions repeated over time accumulate into something substantial.

Moon ah run till daylight ketch am.

“The moon can run all night, but daylight will still catch it.”

Wrongdoing may escape notice for a while, but it will eventually be caught.

Nah every big head get sense.

“Not every big head carries good sense.”

Looking clever, important, or well-off does not mean a person actually possesses good judgment.

Nah tek yuh mattie eye fuh see.

“Don't use your companion's eyes to see for yourself.”

Don't simply take someone else's word for it; judge a situation with your own observation.

Nah put all two foot in di river if yuh want see how deep.

“Don't put both feet in the river just to test how deep it is.”

Don't fully commit to a risky venture before finding out, cautiously, whether it is worthwhile.

Turtle nah want trouble, mek he walk with he house pon he back.

“The turtle wants no trouble, so it carries its house on its back.”

Stay prepared for whatever hardship may come, rather than being caught off guard.

If you nah hear, you guh feel.

“If you will not listen, you will have to feel it.”

Refusing to heed good advice or a clear warning means you will learn the lesson the hard way.

All skin teeth nah laugh.

“Not every bared tooth is a real laugh.”

A smiling face does not always reflect genuine friendliness; some smiles hide other intentions.

Monkey turn captain.

“The monkey has turned captain.”

Said, often wryly, when someone once overlooked or disrespected suddenly rises to a position of power.

If meh bin know, always deh behind di door.

“'If I had known' always stands behind the door.”

Claiming ignorance after the fact is too easy an excuse; it arrives only once the damage is already done.

Baby who ah cry ah house, and ah door, ah di same ting.

“A baby crying in the house and one crying at the door are the very same thing.”

Treat every child with the same fairness and care you would give your own.

Sorry fah magga dog, magga dog turn round bite you.

“Feel sorry for a starving dog, and the starving dog turns around and bites you.”

Helping someone in need does not guarantee they will show gratitude in return.

When man mek sugar, he mattie ah suck am.

“When a man makes sugar, his companion is the one who sucks it up.”

Being generous or successful can invite others to take advantage of what you have built.

You tell Tara and Tara tell Tara.

“Tell it to Tara, and Tara will tell Tara.”

A secret told to even one person soon spreads to everyone.

Wha does hurt eye does mek nose run watah.

“What hurts the eye makes the nose run water.”

Pain suffered by one member of a family is felt, in some way, by the whole family.

If yuh gah balls nah laugh gody man.

“If you have your own weaknesses, don't laugh at another man's misfortune.”

Don't mock someone else's hardship or circumstance; a similar fate could easily become your own.

Goat seh he rather he mumma dead befo'e afternoon rain ketch he.

“The goat says it would rather its mother died before noon than be caught out in the afternoon rain.”

Used, half in jest, to describe someone who dreads one particular hardship above almost anything else.

Wha sweet ah goat mouth does sour he backside.

“What tastes sweet in the goat's mouth turns sour in its backside.”

A pleasure enjoyed too freely, or too carelessly, often brings trouble or discomfort later on.

When bird fly too fast, he pass he nest.

“When a bird flies too fast, it overshoots its own nest.”

Rushing through life too quickly can cause a person to miss or overshoot what truly matters.

One man money mek too much man cry.

“One man's money makes many other men cry.”

The death of a wealthy person often draws in people who mourn insincerely while hoping for a share of the inheritance.

Yuh diggin hole to fill hole.

“You're digging one hole just to fill another.”

A so-called solution that only creates a new problem elsewhere isn't really solving anything at all.

Gi Jack he jacket.

“Give Jack his jacket.”

Give credit to a person for exactly what rightfully belongs to them, no more and no less.

Good livin nah long life.

“Good living does not mean a long life.”

A comfortable, easy lifestyle is not the same thing as a healthy one, and does not guarantee longevity.

Nah cut yuh nose fuh spile yuh face.

“Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.”

Don't harm yourself out of anger or spite while trying to punish someone else.

Ole fiyah does ketch flame quick.

“Old fire catches flame quickly.”

It is easy to fall back into a past romance once the old spark is stirred again.

If dutty deh ah roof top, yuh barrel ah ketch am.

“If mud sits on the rooftop, your rain barrel will catch it.”

Children tend to pick up the habits, good or bad, that they see in their parents.

Easy snake does bite hot.

“The quiet, easy-moving snake bites the hardest.”

The quietest, most unassuming people can turn out to be the most dangerous.

Every day bucket go to the well, one day the bottom will drop out.

“Every day the bucket goes to the well, one day its bottom will drop out.”

Wrongdoing or risk-taking repeated too many times will eventually catch up with you.

Cuss when yuh ah guh, nah wheh yuh ah come out.

“Don't curse the place you're leaving, because you don't know where you'll end up.”

Don't burn bridges with a place or people you're leaving, since you may need to return there one day.

Turtle can't walk if he nah push he head outa he shell.

“The turtle cannot walk unless it pushes its head out of its shell.”

You cannot make progress in life without first taking a risk and exposing yourself to it.

All cassava get same skin but all nah taste same way.

“All cassava has the same skin, but they don't all taste the same.”

People may look alike or dress alike, but each person is different in character underneath.

Ole man na run but ya ketch.

“The old man can't run, but he still gets caught.”

Even if wrongdoing is slow to be discovered, it eventually catches up with the person responsible.

When you do good, you hold hood (wood); when you do bad, you see gad (God).

“When you do good, you get wood; when you do bad, you see God.”

Those who help others are often left with little thanks, while wrongdoers seem to escape consequence — a wry comment on human ingratitude.

“A good thief is the best guardian.”

Someone who understands wrongdoing best is often the very person best placed to guard against it.

“When the big tree falls down, the goat bites its leaves.”

When the powerful or fortunate fall from their position, even the weak feel free to take advantage of them.

“The bush has ears, and the ground has a tongue.”

Even the most private or secluded places can betray a secret, so be careful what you say.

“Don't try to force your foot into every stocking.”

Don't try to fit yourself into every role, opportunity, or relationship; know what genuinely suits you.

“Every story has two sides.”

Always hear both sides of a matter before forming a judgment.

“Never shop for black cloth at nighttime.”

Never make an important decision without enough clear information or light to judge it properly.

“Not all of a scholar's knowledge comes from what he learned from his teacher.”

Much of what a person knows comes from life experience and self-teaching, not only formal schooling.

“Not all who go to church go there to pray.”

Outward displays of piety or good behavior do not always reflect a person's true intentions.

“The devil tempts, but he doesn't force.”

Temptation may be placed in your path, but the choice to give in to it is always your own.