Here are Nigerian proverbs and African wise sayings which are African words of wisdom you can share with family and friends.
If you desire wisdom, go seek it among the wise. These collections of motivational African and Nigerian parables with words of wisdom are inspirational wise African parables you can send to your friends and loved ones.
These proverbs are words of wisdom that teach the many lessons of life which you can adopt for a life-transforming experience.
Each tribe has its own ancient parables but here we are bringing you the best among the best of the proverbs among African people.
Nigerian and African Wise Proverbs and Sayings
Proverbs that are rich in nature would always be the word that encourages one to strive to be the best at all times. These Nigerian and African proverbs are a deep reflection of the experiences of our Elders to help shape a better society.
[1]. When an elder is talking and sweating invariably that elder is crying.
[2]. Dig a well before you're thirsty and plant a seed before you are hungry.
[3]. A problem shared is still your problem.
[4]. Anyone who cuts a big piece of meat from pepper soup with his eyes wide open is not afraid of anything.
[5]. It is only the person who goes to the river at night that knows how a bat manages to drink water.
[6]. A bird at hand is more than one thousand birds in the forest.
[7]. No matter the thickness of the forests it cannot prevent snakes from entering them.
[8]. No matter how beautiful and handsome you are on earth you are nothing.
[9]. It is better to live in thatch house than to spend your whole life in the boat.
[10]. No matter how tall a man is, he can never see tomorrow.
[11]. If you want to relax under a tree during your old age, plant one during your youthful age.
[12]. There are so many stars in the sky but few spark light.
[13]. Let the peaceful and patient child enjoy the throne of his father.
[14]. A blind person cannot be a judge in a dancing competition.
[15]. A man who married a beautiful woman is like a farmer who grows crops along the road.
[16]. The fastest way to lose a good friend is by lending him money and expecting him to pay it back.
[17]. When the fire dies the ashes will remain to bear the testimony.
[18]. Don’t tell a woman to close her lap because you don’t know where she receives air.
[19]. When a snake bites a child if he sees the head of a lizard he will start running.
[20]. No matter how tall you are, you can't be taller than the road.
[21]. There is no smiling face in the time of ejaculation.
[22]. If you don’t like noise making while cooking, don't buy foodstuff on credit.
[23]. The monkey that wants to see the hunter's face will one day receive a bullet in its face.
[24]. A cow does not know the value of its tail until it is cut off.
[25]. Responsible people respond to responsibility.
[26]. He who wants the rain should not be afraid of thunder.
[27]. A roundabout movement of two lizards cannot be comprehended by human imagination.
[28]. A fisherman without a boat is like a man wanting to have children without marriage.
[29]. He who failed to plan has already planned to fail.
[30]. We need elders even if not for anything but for the sake of tradition.
[31]. The excreta smell much when it is dropped on another person's doorstep.
[32]. When a handshake goes beyond the elbow it becomes another thing.
[33]. No matter how far a stone travelled the ground is still his destination.
[34]. To attract attractive people, you must be attractive.
[35]. Great houses are not built with cheap materials.
[36]. He who knows not the law of life would always walk astray.
[37]. There is no connection between a vulture and a salon.
[38]. Snake says for it to avoid committing an offence it gets to remove it hands and legs.
[39]. Delay is what makes the hen not to fly like other birds.
[40]. For something to happen in life, something must happen for it to happen.
[41]. Don't take risks, on what you cannot handle. The you, in you, makes you, the you, you are.
[42]. When others are trying to bring you down, it means that you are above them.
[43]. Design your life or someone else will use you to design his own.
[44]. If the wise can't recognize the footstep of the wicked on dry sand, how much more the foolish.
[45]. It is only the wise that count their teeth twice before reacting to anger.
[46]. Wisdom is like a bag every person carries their own.
[47]. The person you love so much will always be the one to hurt you the most.
[48]. It is ignorance that makes rats invite cat for a fight.
[49]. A man without savings is a naked man.
[50]. A butterfly thinks of himself as a bird.
Deep African and Nigerian Wise Proverbs and Sayings
If you love African proverbs, you would fall in love with these deep collections of Nigerian and African proverbs. Go ahead and share them, it is something that your friends and loved ones need to learn from the wise saying of African Elders.
[51]. The gentle movement of a tiger does not mean the tiger is timid.
[52]. He who has been bitten by a bee would always be scared when he sees a fly.
[53]. When you crush a madman with a car, then you know he has relatives.
[54]. The bend is never the end, keep going you must surely get to your destination.
[55]. No matter how big a penis is, you can never use it to harass an old woman.
[56]. You can never cut a man’s head in his absence.
[57]. Kola nuts lasted in the mouth of those that value them.
[58]. The little opportunity given to a monkey to wear clothes does not guarantee it to join the dining table.
[59]. Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyed kings.
[60]. The court is made for only two friends, Lies and Truth.
[61]. A tree that doesn’t know how to dance will be thought of by the wind.
[62]. When oppression becomes law then self-defence will be a duty of all citizens.
[63]. Nobody knows everything but everybody knows something. It is better to be late than never.
[64]. A woman who sleeps with her wrapper at night means something to her husband.
[65]. A slow movement of a lion is not a mistake but a calculated accuracy.
[66]. If you marry the right woman you marry a prayer mate, but if you marry the wrong woman you have a prayer point.
[67]. A woman can be a counterfeit only if she indulges in voluptuous life.
[68]. The more you learn the truth about life, the less you make mistakes.
[69]. No matter how they gather they can't fight one man who carries grace.
[70]. You don't fight a man under grace, grace will disgrace you.
[71]. A big head without a brain is a heavy load on the neck.
[72]. No matter how fast a criminal is, he cannot rob a naked man.
[73]. He that fights and runs away lives to fight another day.
[74]. Lack of trust leads two scabies patients to have handshakes with their scratch-sticks to avoid body contact.
[75]. A Nymph aspires to grow tremendously but not to the size of an elephant
[76]. An intelligent enemy is better than a stupid friend.
[77]. A man with a protruded tooth, when he is dying, it will look as if he is laughing.
[78]. Christianity is free but you must buy your Bible.
[79]. Free education is real, but you must pay your acceptance fee.
[80]. A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
[81]. Whatever a child climbs up to see, His father will sit down to see.
[82]. How can we keep struggling for peanuts while the maggots feed fat on our sweets?
[83]. If you think education is expensive try ignorance.
[84]. Always try to become the first person, because the second person is the first loser.
[85]. It is only a fool who doesn't know the potency of a herbal charm that calls it a mere vegetable.
[86]. The fools will multiply if the wise keep quiet.
[87]. You cannot shave a man's head in his absence.
[88]. He who swallows a coconut should be able to trust his Anus.
[89]. Girls are like mangoes while some are waiting for them to ripen, others are eating them with salt.
[90]. I am yet to see a man whose stomach does not move when he laughs.
[91]. No matter the economy of the jungle the lion will never feed on grass.
[92]. No matter the matter, what must be must be.
[93]. War does not determine who is right but who is left.
[94]. The absence of the cat makes the mouse brag.
[95]. A word is enough for the wise.
[96]. A river doesn't flow without bringing down the trees.
[97]. An erected penis has no conscience.
[98]. The gentility of a leopard is not the symbol of its kindness.
[99]. To love someone who doesn't love you in return is like shaking a huge Iroko tree to make a tiny dew drop fall which is impossible.
[100]. No army ever marched off to battle without a plan for victory.
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