Methali za Kiswahili

Discover the wisdom of East Africa through traditional Swahili proverbs

🌟 Proverb of the Day

Mwana mkaidi hafaidi mpaka siku ya Idi
An obstinate child does not suffer until the day of the Festival
Stubbornness leads to missing out on rewards and celebrations
Found 192 proverb(s) starting with "M"

Meaning: One hand cannot slaughter a cow

Context: Cooperation is necessary for great tasks

Meaning: One hand cannot nurse a child

Context: It takes more than one person to raise a child; community effort is needed

Meaning: An empty hand is not licked

Context: You cannot expect to receive anything if you have nothing to give

Meaning: Kiss the hand you cannot cut off

Context: If you cannot defeat someone, it is wiser to show respect or make peace

Meaning: One who has little relish must eat sparingly

Context: You must live within your means

Meaning: A spear for a pig is painful to a human being

Context: You don't feel the pain of an action until it's done to you

Meaning: The farmer is one, but the eaters are many

Context: Many people enjoy the fruits of a single person's hard work

Meaning: He who eats another's food will have his own food eaten

Context: What you do to others, will be done to you

Meaning: He who eats bitter things will not lack sweet things

Context: Enduring hardship can lead to better times; every cloud has a silver lining

Meaning: He who devours his neighbour's fowl will be given away by its footprints

Context: A wrongdoer will inevitably leave evidence of their crime

Meaning: He who eats with both hands will not have a good end

Context: Greed leads to ruin

Meaning: The eater of a goat pays back a cow

Context: You must often repay a kindness with a greater kindness

Meaning: The real eater is today's eater; what has the eater of yesterday eaten?

Context: Past deeds are irrelevant; present reality is what matters

Meaning: He who eats with you will not die for you, but he who is born with you will

Context: A true friend from childhood is more loyal than a fair-weather friend

Meaning: He who flings a stone into a crowd does not know whom it will hit

Context: Reckless actions can have unintended consequences for innocent people

Meaning: A sleeping man isn't tickled by hunger; a man who is awake is not told 'let's eat'

Context: A person knows their own needs without being told

Meaning: He who enjoys the first fruits of a country is a son of that country

Context: The one who pioneers or develops a place has a claim to it

Meaning: One who keeps silent, endures

Context: Sometimes, silence is the best way to tolerate a difficult situation

Meaning: He who drinks water with one hand finds his thirst is still there

Context: An insufficient effort will not solve the problem

Meaning: Take one; not "go and return with ten"

Context: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush