Proverbs For You and Your Child

CATEGORY/ORIGIN

PROVERB

MEANING

Have effort and determination

Jamaican

One one coco full basket/ Big tree no cut down wid one blow.

A little effort makes all the difference.

Buy meat yuh get bone, buy land yuh get stone.

Don’t expect to achieve perfection.

If yuh want milk feed de goat.

Nothing in life comes for free.

A great good never got by little pain.

To achieve something you have to put in the required effort.

De deeper yuh dig de richer de soil.

The more effort you put into something, the more you will be rewarded in the end.

Nigerian

Whoever throws water ahead will step on cool earth.

The future will be bright if you are optimistic about it.

A child's learning of Ifá is full of privations, but the outcome is a life of ease.

The outcome makes the effort worthwhile.

The good my hand cannot reach, I will pull down with a hooked stick.

I will leave no stone uncovered in pursuit of my goals.

Nigerian

Your failures in life come from not realising your nearness to success when you give up.

What you give, you get, ten times over.

Ashanti/Ghanaian

If we focus our thoughts, take our steps with confidence and move forward, we may stumble but we cannot fall.

Leadership

Jamaican

Monkey see, monkey do.

Copy cat.

Falla fashin monkey neva boil a good soup yet.

The copy cat will never be as good as the real thing.

Yu mek yu sail too big fi uy boat, yu sail wi capsize yu.

Don't be too big for your boots.

Me throw me corn but me no call no fowl.

People will see who you are by your actions, not by what you tell them about yourself.

If yuh trousers too short wear long braces.

Take into account your shortcomings.

Only shoe know if stocking hab hole.

Only those who are close enough to you know your faults.

If yuh follow wha rivah carry yuh never drink de water.

If you were aware of all that lies in the river you would never drink the water, (if you were aware of the character of every person you would never make friends with them).

De tune yuh playing no de one I dancing.

Deciding not to follow.

A no ebery rainfall mus wet yuh.

You don’t have to get involved in everything that you see going on around you.

Look me fren, if yuh follow dem yuh might as well drink soup wid fork.

If you decide to follow, you are a hopeless case.

Risk and chance

Jamaican

Fire de a mus mus tail him tink a cool breeze.

Don't allow yourself to be led like a fool into danger.

Chicken merry; hawk deh  near.

Even when you are feeling you’re happiest, be weary of what might be lurking around the corner.

What sweet nanny goat a go run him belly.

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

Trouble no set like rain.

You won’t be warned about trouble like you will be warned about rain- in the form of dark clouds in the sky.

Yuh lick de spoon an loose de spoonful/Want all loose all.

For just a little benefit you have lost a great deal.

If yuh spread yuh bed hard yuh mus li-dung hard pon-e.

If you go on like your ‘bad’, you must be willing to accept that bad things might happen to you.

If yuh kyaan bear de name no play de game.

If you don’t want the finger to be pointed at you, don’t put yourself in bad situations.

Trouble mek de mahn, money mek de monstah.

Trials and tribulations build people’s characters; the love of money will destroy it.

If yuh fly wid john-crow yuh nyam rotten meat.

You will be pulled into doing bad things if you associate with bad people.

If yuh nyam egg yuh mus bruk de shell.

Every action has consequences.

Nigerian

Tortoise has entered into a narrow-necked pot; now, getting out is a problem.

You should consider the possible consequences of your actions before you act.

People who live impatiently: their going to heaven is not far off.

If you live a reckless life it will lead to an early death.

A scorpion is not a thing to close one's palms on.

You should exercise extreme caution in certain situations.

Life is nothing to enjoy heedlessly.

Life requires some caution.

A person who has been seen has no further need of hiding.

Once the damage is done it’s too late for precautions.

Wealth throws a person away like a stone.

If you chase after wealth it will throw you off course.

Ambitions and aspirations

Jamaican

Di higher monkey climb a di more him get exposed, A city upon the hill cannot be hidden.

Those who make it to the top are more likely to be watched and criticized.

Appreciate what you have

Jamaican

Tek wha' yuh get 'til yuh get wha' guh want.

Appreciate what you have.

Bruk calabash bring new one.

You can turn things around if you are optimistic.

Ebery spwoil mek a style.

Use a negative to your advantage and create a positive.

Nigerian

Whatever clothing one is left with is one's best

Make the best of what you have.

If a woman has not lived in at least two homes, she never knows which is better.

You have to experience the hard times in order to appreciate the good times.

If a thing that vows to decapitate one only knocks off one's hat, one should be thankful.

If the outcome doesn’t turn out to be as bad as you expected, you should give thanks.

A person who has made pounded yams must pay homage to the stew.

A shrewd person looks after what they rely on.

Luck

Jamaican

Rain no fall a one mahn door.

No one has all the luck.

BAD MINDED

Jamaican

Scornful dawg nyam dutty pudding.

Be careful not to ridicule someone or show contempt for them, it could come back on you.

Diplomacy and tact

Jamaican

Patience and sweet talk mek di monkey (mate wid) di puss.

If you are diplomatic you will be able to overcome many hurdles.

Count de cost before yuh mount yuh harse.

Think carefully before you do anything drastic.

Stan softly betta dan beg pardon.

It’s better to choose your words carefully than to have to apologise when you put your foot in it.

Anybody trouble me, me bex, but me tell im howdy when me meet im a pass.

Don’t let your negative thoughts and emotions show.

Sweet wood blaze but im no keep fire.

A person who is easily vexed, is often ignored.

Nigerian

One does not share a farm boundary with a king without getting one's feet gashed by the king's hoe.

You need to be cautious when you are dealing with people in authority.

When the eyes see, the mouth remains quiet.

Your mouth should not reveal everything that your eyes see.

Words are the things with which to savor the delicious broth of words.

You can resolve most problems with words.

Words are eggs; when they drop on the floor they shatter into pieces.

Words are delicate; once spoken, they can’t be taken back.

One solitary statement muddies an entire affair; one solitary statement clears all the confusion.

A single sentence can cause untold damage, but can also repair it.

Anger ‘is the’ father of hopelessness.

Anger doesn’t achieve anything and can backfire on you.

The saliva one has spat out of one's mouth does not return to one's mouth.

Once you say something you can’t take it back.

Whatever one handles gently will not be ruined; it is what one attempts with force that causes one grief.

A gentle approach is much more effective than a forceful one, this only causes conflict.

Have faith

Jamaican

Di daakes'part a di night a when diay soon light.

When times are hard better days are always just round the corner.

No cup no broke, no coffee no dash wey.

All is not lost.

If man nuh dead nuh call in duppy.

You may be down but you’re not out.

No pain no crown, no macca no palm.

You can’t experience the good times without experiencing the bad.

After cloud, clear wedah.

After something bad there will be something good.

Since rivah come down jungo grow a bank side.

The rain makes all things new.

No rain, no rainbow.

You can’t experience the good times without experiencing the bad.

Sleep no done, dream no done.

Believe in your dreams.

Wha yuh loose in de jig yuh gain in de reel.

Whatever you may loose, you will gain back in another way.

Who god bless no mahn curse.

No curse can touch what god has blessed.

God almighty mek yuh see star no matter which way de wind blow.

God controls everything and balances all things, even through great trials and tribulations.

Prayer needn’t be long if faith is strong.

Daylight show through little keyhole.

There is always a way out of the deepest tragedy.

Wha yuh know a-day yuh can find a-night.

You can follow a path you know well even if it is dark, just as you can predict the actions of someone you know well, even if they try to fool you.

Faith dare eberyting and love bare everything.

Faith, like love endures everything.

Today no kill tomorrow.

Your troubles may seem unbearable today, but they can be solved tomorrow.

De darkest part a-de night a when day soon light.

When your troubles seem almost impossible to overcome that’s when they are coming to an end.

Puss no hab han but im tek im foot wipe im face.

Be resourceful and don’t give up when you are faced with problems.

When cloud shadow come sun no set.

When you encounter a small set back don’t let it prevent you from persevering.

Nigerian

A worrisome problem that soars to the heavens must eventually come down.

All difficulties must come to an end.

No cheese today, but there will be cheese tomorrow.

Whatever you are longing for today, you will have plenty of tomorrow.

Every place is hospitable and comfortable for the dove.

No circumstance is beyond your ability to cope with.

Every place is hospitable and comfortable for the dove.

No circumstance is beyond your ability to cope with.

Envy

Jamaican

You too red eye.

You’re too envious.

Things aren’t always what they seem

Jamaican

Tom drunk but Tom nuh fool.

Things aren’t always what they appear to be.

Pick sense outta non-sense.
Form fool fi ketch wise.

To ‘read between the lines’.

Orange yellah but yuh no know if e-sweet.

You can’t judge a book by its cover.

Stan fur see better/De furdah yuh stan de betta yuh see.

To have the vision to see the broader picture, ‘the whole story’.

Good manners

Jamaican

Howdy an 'tenk yu, noh brok noh square.

Saying hello and thank you doesn’t require a lot of effort.

Manners mek de mahn/Manners can tek yuh through de world.

Good manners will get you far.

Learn from experience

Jamaican

Wha' noh poison, fatten.

Any experience that doesn't destroy you will help you to grow even stronger.

Hiding fe me, talking fey uh.

I had to learn the hard way, but you won’t have to if you take my advice.

If yuh no hear yuh mus feel.

If you can’t take advice you must learn the hard way.

Nigerian

Whatever deprives one of one's sight is the same thing that shows one the way.

Trials and tribulations teach you how to cope with them.

Hissing goes before crying; had one but known comes at the conclusion of an unfortunate matter; all the elders in the town assembled but they could find no antidote for had we but known.

You can only regret a mistake once it has been made; but then it cannot be undone.

Today, the antelope falls into a ditch; tomorrow, the antelope falls into the ditch; is there no other animal in the forest?

If you keep finding yourself in problematic situations all the time, you should stop and take a long, hard look at yourself.

It is by missing one's way that one learns the way; if one does not fall one does not learn how to tie one's load properly.

Failures are opportunities to learn.

Good fortune

Jamaican

Hog say, di fus water im cetch, I'm walla.
Hog seh, ‘de fus water me ketch me wash’.

Make the most of the first opportunity you get.

Never pass yuh first luck.

Make the most of the first opportunity you get because you may not get another.

Today fe me, tomorrow fey uh.

Things may be going well for me right now, but don’t envy me, your turn to shine is coming sooner than you think.

Whatever come light curve round brick.

Anything that comes too easy is easily lost.

Want-e want-e kyaan get-e and get-e get-e no want-e.

When you want something you can’t get it; once you get it, you won’t want it.

If yuh get spoon yuh-wi drink de soup.

You will achieve prosperity if you get the right opportunity.

Tree grow come catch tree an grow pass tree too.

Even if you are disadvantaged, you can turn out to be more successful than someone who has had an advantage.

Tek wheh yuh get till yuh get wha yuh want.

Make the most of what you have until you achieve your goal.

Never let mud fish tail touch water.

Don’t let a good opportunity slip through your fingers.

Throw one stone kill two bud.

To kill two birds with one stone- Think positive and you will achieve a positive outcome.

Walk in someone else’s shoes

Jamaican

Rockstone a riva battam noh know' sun hot.

If you have lived a good life you won’t know the meaning of hardship- You can’t relate to someone's experience if you have not experienced the same thing.

Handle your business

Jamaican

If you want half a bread, beg smaddy buy it, but if yu want a wan, buy it yuself.

If you want a job to be done correctly you have to do it yourself.

Me come yah fi drink milk, me no come yah fi count cow!

‘Walk the walk’, don’t just ‘talk the talk’.

Before beard hang yuh shave.

Don’t wait until it’s too late before you decide to deal with a problem.

If yuh kyaan find calalu tek jungo.

Be adaptable. If you fail to get what you want, try something else.

Better fe fall from window dan roof.

It is better that things happened this way, rather than for you to have gone on, the outcome may have been far worse.

Something stan too long serves another mahn/Wait an see works gainst you.

Don’t procrastinate when faced with a problem; take action as soon as possible rather than hoping that everything will work out in the end.

Fry big fish first.

Prioritise and take care of the most important things first.

Big wud bruk no mahn jawbone.

Saying what’s on your mind doesn’t hurt.

There’s a long pass between ‘say’ an ‘do’.

Actions speak louder than words.

Finger never she ‘look yah’ im she ‘look yondah’.

People never like to blame themselves; they prefer to blame others instead.

Lilly forethought sabby afterthought.

To benefit from planning.

Nigerian

A house does not burn while the landlord lounges with indifference/ A house does not burn and fill the eyes with sleep.

You shouldn’t ignore serious matters.

One does not ignore leprosy to treat a rash.

Serious issues should be addressed immediately.

One does not go to bed while there is a fire on one's roof.

Take care of problems before you relax.

One does not because of shyness expose oneself to a disease.

Don’t be too shy to speak up for yourself.

It is abstention from speaking that makes the mouth smell.

You should always say what’s on your mind when you are having a discussion.

Sitting without leaning the back against something is like standing.

Don’t do things by half measures.

Dry smoked fish is delicious, but what is one to eat before the fish is smoked?

Look to the future but take care of the present.

When the eyes come upon a matter, they must look hard and well.

If you don’t have a good understanding of an issue this will cause problems.

If one must use a tree-climbing rope and it breaks, one must pause to repair it.

You must make the time to attend to matters that need to be dealt with.

Inability to speak out precedes misfortunes.

A person who will not speak out on his or her own behalf suffers the consequences.

It is always something one does not expect to become a load that eventually becomes a huge task.

When you think a problem is insignificant and you don’t have to worry, it is then that it will escalate.

The song that we sang yesterday, without sleep, without respite; we do not resume singing it in the morning.

Yesterday's problems should be dealt with yesterday.

When a duty comes to one's turn one does not duck it.

You shouldn’t try to avoid your responsibilities.

The owner of the eyes will not neglect them and watch foreign matter lodge in them.

You shouldn’t just standby and watch as your interests are jeopardized.

A head is never so heavy that the owner cannot carry it.

You should always be able to handle your business.

One's own hands are what one uses to mend one's fortune.

Your destiny is in your own hands.

Do not deny your responsibility; that way the problem will be minimized.

If you run from your responsibilities it will only make the situation worse.

Have patience

One-one coco full basket.

You can achieve success by doing things one-step at a time.

De race no fe who can run, but fe who can run to de end.

Even if others rush and get ahead you shouldn’t worry. They will more than likely slip up and you will surpass them. It’s better to be careful and take your time.

A swift mek wass-wass no gather honey/ Bud fly too fast im pass im nest.

Don’t try to rush, be patient and you will reap the benefits.

If yuh want fe ride far, spare the harse.

You get further in life if you are nice.

Wait never kill.

It won’t hurt you to take your time.

Hot needle burn thread.

Be diplomatic and tactful.

If yuh run too fast yuh run two-time/Too much hurry get deh tomorra, tek time get deh today.

If you hurry you’ll make mistakes, it’s better for you to plan and take your time.

Haste fe rich, fall in-a ditch.

The love of money will get you into trouble.

Tek kyar’ betta dan beg pardon/Tek kyar is de mother of safety.

To be safe, it is always advisable to give your actions careful consideration before carrying them out.

Nigerian

One throws back the head first before throwing corn into the mouth.

Don’t put your cart before your horse.

There is nothing that patience cooks that is not well cooked.

Patience overcomes everything.

Gradual efforts complete a task.

Any task is only ever accomplished with gradual and steady effort.

Seek help

Jamaican

If new hoe want fe know how grung tough mek im ask old hoe.

If you want to know how to deal with difficult situations you should ask your elders for advice.

De longer de harse tail de easier im can brush-way de fly.

The stronger your defence the more able you will be to protect yourself.

No wash pickney belly but wash dem back.

When you support the parent you are helping the child.

Bud kyaan fly pon one wing.

When we work together we can achieve anything.

Nigerian

Having people to advise one is nothing like knowing how to take advice.

Nobody can help you if you can’t help yourself.

The lemon plant that grows in the bush and does not support itself against something will be uprooted by the forest breeze.

When someone has no support they will be in danger of falling apart.

Fire is not something one conceals under one's clothing.

You shouldn’t try to hide your problems: seek help.

The person who honors one in one's presence is nothing like the person who honors one in one's absence.

It is what people say about you and or what they do on your behalf, in your absence that matters.

Wisdom and common sense

Jamaican

Do what me seh no wha me do.

Do as I say and not as I do.

De older de moon de brighter it shine/De older de clock de faster it wind.

The older you are the wiser your knowledge.

There’s no lock golden key no open.

There is no problem that knowledge can’t resolve.

Betta short a pence than short a sense.

Wisdom should be valued much more than wealth.

Cook in de new pot, but keep yuh old bun pot.

Old traditions and ideas are just as important as new ones.

Old time something come back again.

History repeating itself.

New broom sweep clean but old broom know de corner.

The old ways are better than the new.

Young bud no know bout storm.

There are things that the young do not know because it is outside their experience; they must trust their elders to teach them about things.

Nigerian

While one weeps, one can still see.

Always use your good judgement.

Wisdom is never used up.

There is always wisdom.

The wise person grabs a fish by the head; the fool grabs it by the tail fin.

If you are wise you will know the best way to handle any situation.

When an elder has exhausted all his wisdom, he turns to another wisdom.

An elder always knows what to do.

Ears don’t pass head.

Don’t let what you hear affect your common sense.

Guidance and upbringing

Jamaican

Me lub pickney but me no nyam wid dem.

I love children but I don’t allow them to treat me like their friend, because this is when the respect can be lost.

Wha drop off pickney head drop pon puppa shoulder.

Parents have to take responsibility for their children’s actions.

Bend de tree when-e young.

Start to mould your child’s character into a positive one from when they are young.

Nigerian

A child that was never taught how to behave; a child that was taught but that refused to heed instruction. It is from outside the home that he will learn wisdom.

Bring up your child well.

When a child is being a child, an elder must remain an elder.

Let a child play the role of a child and you play the role of an adult.

‘I am all-wise, I am all-knowing’ kept the wasp from having as much venom as the bee.

If you don’t listen to advice, you won’t learn anything.

If we go to the river and sleep there, what will the people left at home drink?

You can’t let down those who depend on you.

Reputation and character

Nigerian

Unrestrained and thoughtless behavior does not befit a well-born person.

Don’t behave in a manner that will reflect badly on your family.

The disgrace one incurs in one day does not disappear that soon.

Your reputation is easy to destroy and difficult to repair.

If a youth is felling a tree, an elder will be considering where it will fall.

Unlike a young person, an elder is mindful of consequences.

One is never so desperate that one drinks red sorrel juice; one is never so thirsty that one drinks blood.

You must never be so desperate that you resort to unacceptable behaviour.