By Sharon Atkins

You get great Chinese proverbs, English Proverbs and proverbs from the Bible but I am just loving the proverbs we find in my own continent of Africa.

A proverb is a saying that gives advice in an obscure way. They are little tidbits of wisdom that you can use to apply to a situation that you might find yourself in.

 Read through some of my favourites and enjoy the richness and wisdom of the African culture.

• It takes a whole village to raise a child
• A man without culture is like a zebra without stripes
• If stretching were wealth, the cat would be rich
• However long the night, the dawn will break
• Where there is love there is no darkness
• Do not insult a crocodile while your feet are still in the water
• Hold a true friend with both hands
• Children are the reward of life
• A family tie is like a tree, it can bend but it cannot break
• Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable
• It takes a village to raise a child
• Cross the river in a crowd and the crocodile won’t eat you
• Many hands make light work
• If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together
• If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything
• Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped
• Wisdom is wealth
• Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it
• Learning expands great soul
• To get lost is to learn the way.
• By crawling a child learns to stand.
• The strength of the crocodile is the water
• The warmth of a rock is known only by the lizard (which lies on it)
• He who does not look ahead always remains behind
• You’ll never know the worth of water until the well is dry
•  If you can’t hold children in your arms, please hold them in your heart
•  The laughter of a child lights up the house
• A roaring lion kills no game
• The lion does not turn around when a small dog barks
• The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now
• The fool speaks, the wise man listens
• Wisdom does not come overnight
• Wisdom is like fire. People take it from each other.
• Only a wise person can solve a difficult problem
• Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand
• A wise person will always find a way
• Nobody is born wise
• A man who uses force is afraid of reasoning
• Wisdom is not like money to be tied up and hidden
• Learning expands great souls
• To get lost is to learn the way.
• By crawling a child learns to stand.
• The word of friend makes you cry – the word of an enemy makes you laugh.
• A small house will hold a hundred friends
• Hold a true friend with both hands
• Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot
• When elephants fight it is the grass that suffers
• A chattering bird builds no nest

And last but not least and also very relevant to us today-

• If you think that you are too small to make a difference,  try sleeping with a mosquito