55 Inspiring Proverbs from Senegal

The Republic of Senegal which is in West Africa is home to over 16.74 million citizens. The country is famous for its culinary inspiration which includes a mixture of French and North African influences with a touch of ancient traditions. Senegal is nicknamed “Gate Way to Africa” since it is served numerous air and maritime travel routes. This article gives a fresh dose of wisdom through some inspiring  proverbs from Senegal.

55 Inspiring Proverbs from Senegal

Senegalese people uphold their traditions with much accord. Their heritage is mainly preserved through oral tradition by the communities’ oldest men. Their proverbs are wise sayings and ideas that has inspired many generation of great people.

Here are 55 proverbs from Senegal:

1. The opportunity that God sends does not wake up him who is asleep.
2. Haste and hurry can only bear children with many regrets along the way.
3. It is better to walk fast than to grow angry at the forest.
4. What’s the use of consulting a dead man’s horoscope?
5. When a musician hath forgotten his note, he makes as though a crumb stuck in his throat.
6. Don’t try to make a person hate the one he loves, for he will still go on loving, but he will hate you.
7. When a mouse makes fun of a cat, there is a hole.
8. Three kinds of people who die poor: those who divorce, those who incur debts, and those who move around too much.
9. The jungle is stronger than the elephant.
10. Poverty is an older daughter of laziness.
11. Eat coconuts while you have teeth.
12. What a cow eats, a calf drinks.
13. The heart is not a knee that can be bent.
14. A rotten fish pollutes the whole kitchen.
15. The teeth of a man serve as a fence.
16. If you had teeth of steel, you would eat iron coconuts.
17. Trusting in wealth is like looking for feathers on turtles.
18. The truth is like gold, keep it locked up and you will find it exactly as you first put it away.
19. To spend a night in anger is better than to spend it repenting.
20. The strong don’t need clubs.
21. Rising early makes the road short.
22. Kings have no friends.
23. There can be no peace without understanding.
24. Spilled water is better than a broken jar.
25. The frog likes water, but not boiling in it.
26. A lobster loves water, but not being cooked in it.
27. If the eye do not admire, the heart will not desire.
28. An intelligent enemy is worth more than a stupid friend.
29. The night is the king of the shadows.
30. People are man’s medicine.
31. Lies that build are better than trusts that destroy.
32. All birds will flock to a fruitful tree.
33. If a centipede loses a leg, it does not prevent him from walking.
34. Even Buddhist priest of the same temple quarrel occasionally.
35. If you wait for tomorrow, tomorrow come. If you don’t wait for tomorrow, tomorrow comes.
36. It is better to travel alone than with a bad companion.
37. Little by little, one catches the monkey in the jungle.
38. It is the hunter who always beats the lions, because it is the hunter who always tell the story.
39. No matter how strong you are, you’ll always find someone stronger.
40. The chameleon changes color to match the earth, the earth doesn’t change color to match the chameleon.
41. Nobody tell all he knows.
42. The giant tree grows from a grain.
43. Not everything can be seen, but everything exists.
44. The wolf dies where the pack is.
45. When the branches of trees in the forest are fighting, the roots are kissing.
46. The future emerges from the past.
47. You cannot run and scratch your ass at the same time.
48. Your ears are wiser than you are.
49. An empty bag cannot stand.
50. It is to the bull that the beard would fit better, but God gave it to the goat.
51. No path leads to a fruitless tree.
52. Standing in the sun won’t stop it from settling down.
53. Whoever wants honey, should have courage to face the bees.
54. Those who ride in the same canoe, have the same aspirations.
55. The word is like running waters, it cannot be picked up with fingers.