10 African proverbs and their meanings

Right from time, proverbs have always been used by man. It is said that proverbs were first used in Egypt dating back to 2500 Bc.
Proverbs have always been used, even in the holy scriptures a particular book is dedicated to proverbs.

In this post, I'm going to write about the following:

• What are proverbs?
• Importance and use of proverbs
• 10 African proverbs and their meanings

What are proverbs?

A proverb is a traditional brief saying that offers advice based on practical experience often in the form of a metaphor.
Proverbs are popularly used in spoken language and it usually contains folklore of a culture which passes down through generations.

Importance and use of proverbs

There are many purposes in which proverbs can be used.

• Proverbs acts to impart knowledge
• It is used to offer advice to a person
• It can be used to support an argument
• To teach and reinforce morals
• It can be used as an aid to understanding
• It can also be used to inspire and to console others

10 African proverbs and their meanings

Coming from Africa, I have heard many proverbs being used by older ones. I also heard many of them in school and tried to read meanings to them.
Here below are 10 different African proverbs and their meanings for you:

African Proverbs	Meanings
Knowledge is like a garden: If it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested	Effort must be made to acquire knowledge, if you don't make the effort, you cannot expect to gain it, also if you do not put the knowledge you gained to use, there is no way you will expect it to work for you.
A restless feet may walk into a snake pit	It is easy for a person who is idle or who gets involved in what doesn't concern him to get into trouble
Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped	Don't focus on your mistakes, try to see what caused the mistake, or you may end up repeating the same mistake again
Life is like a mist or a shadow; it quickly passes by	Life is short. One lives today and dies one day
Rain does not fall on just one roof	Trouble must come to everyone whether at one time or the other
If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings	If you allow yourself to be trained well when the opportunity comes, you will have great achievements and be favoured in due time
Sugarcane is sweetest at its joint	Good things in life may appear difficult at first but in the end is is worth it
Don’t set sail using someone else’s star	Do not copy someone else. That someone did something and became successful in it doesn't mean that you will succeed if you do same.
The best way to eat an elephant in your path, is to cut him up into little pieces	The Best approach to solve a difficult problem is to take it bit by bit.
Only a fool tests the depth of a river with both feet	One needs to think before jumping into a situation.

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We hear most of these proverbs everyday and from many especially the older ones, and when we think deeply about them we can be able to benefit from the lessons they teach.