Yorùbá proverbs
321
Asúùfé ya àgbàdo; ó f'ojú jọ olè, ó f'ojú jọ olókó.
- Literal translation
- The one who harvests corn in a farm whistling (carefreely), could very well be the farm owner and could very well be a thief.
- Meaning
- Appearance can be deceptive; look beyond the obvious.
322
Asúùfé ya àgbàdo; ó f'ojú jọ olè, óf'ojú jọ olókó.
- Literal translation
- The one who harvests corn in a farm whistling (carefreely), could very well be the farm owner and could very well be a thief.
- Meaning
- Appearance can be deceptive; look beyond the obvious.
323
Àt'oore àt'ìka, ìkan kì í gbé.
- Literal translation
- Neither acts of kindness nor those of wickedness shall be lost.
- Meaning
- We shall certainly reap whatever we sow.
324
Àt'oore àt'ìkà, ìkan kì í gbé.
- Literal translation
- Neither acts of kindness nor those of wickedness shall be lost.
- Meaning
- We reap whatever we sow
325
Àt'oore àt'ìkà, ìkan kìí gbé.
- Literal translation
- Neither acts of kindness nor those of wickedness shall be lost.
- Meaning
- We will reap whatever we sow
326
Atẹ́gùn tó wọlé tó ńká'ṣọ ní yàrá, ẹni tó wọ ti ẹ̀ kó má ṣ'àfira.
- Literal translation
- The wind that blew into the house, and cleared the clothes in the rooms cautioned those who wore theirs not to be tardy.
- Meaning
- To be forewarned is to be forearmed; promptly do the right thing.
327
Àtẹ́lẹwọ́ ẹni kì í tan ni'jẹ.
- Literal translation
- Your palm (the result of your effort) cannot deceive you.
- Meaning
- To avert disappointments, depend less on anyone; take personal responsibility for your life.
328
Àtẹ́lẹwọ́ ẹni kì í tan'ni jẹ.
- Literal translation
- Our palms cannot cheat (or deceive) us.
- Meaning
- Only what we achieve by our sweat and effort will endure: all others are temporary; they will go, the same way they came, eventually
329
Àtẹ́lẹwọ́ ẹni kì í tanni jẹ
- Literal translation
- One's palm does not deceive one
- Meaning
- The result of your effort (not another's) is yours to keep
330
Àtẹ́lẹwọ́ ẹni kìí tan nijẹ
- Literal translation
- A person's palm (result of his effort) can't deceive him
- Meaning
- Don't be depedent; take responsibility for your life
331
Àtẹ́lẹwọ́ ẹni kìí tan'ni jẹ
- Literal translation
- The output of one's palm (the results of one's effort) can't deceive one
- Meaning
- Avoid excessive dependence on others
332
Àtẹ́wọ́ la bá ilà, a kò mọ ẹni tó kọọ́
- Literal translation
- Lines were found on the palms, no one knew who made them
- Meaning
- Some blessings aren't due to one's effort
333
Àti mọ ọ̀nà ẹ̀dá láyé, kò ṣẹ̀hìn Ọlọ́run.
- Literal translation
- Man's quest to seek his or her path (to success) in life is not beyond God.
- Meaning
- Nothing is beyond God: no one, but Him, has the final say; don't just give up hope yet.
334
Àti rán'mú u gáńgan, kò ṣẹ̀yìn èékánná.
- Literal translation
- The nasal sound of the talking drum isn't without the cooperation of the finger nails.
- Meaning
- Achieving sustained success will always require the cooperation and collaboration of others: build trust and bridges.
335
Àtùpà kì í ní'yì lọ́ọ̀sán, ṣugbọ̀n a máa gba'yì lọ́jọ́ alẹ́.
- Literal translation
- A lamp is not valued in the afternoons, but does get appreciated at night.
- Meaning
- There's always a right time and place for everything; solutions are most appreciated during trying times.
336
Àtùpà kì í ní'yì lọ́ọ̀sán, ṣùgbọ́n a máa gba'yì lọ́jọ́ alẹ́.
- Literal translation
- A lamp is not valued in the afternoons, but does get appreciated at night.
- Meaning
- There's always a right time and place for everything; solutions are most appreciated during trying times.
337
Àtùpà kì í níyì lọọsán, ṣùgbọn a máa gba'yì lọjọ alẹ.
- Literal translation
- A lamp is not valued in the afternoons, but does get appreciated at night.
- Meaning
- There's always a right time and place for everything; solutions are most appreciated during tough times.
338
Àtùpà kì í níyì lọ́ọ̀sán, ṣugbọ̀n a máa gba'yì lọ́jọ́ alẹ́.
- Literal translation
- Lamps are not valued in the afternoons, but do get appreciated at night.
- Meaning
- There's always a right time and place for everything; solutions are most appreciated during tough times
339
Àtùpà kì í níyì lọ́ọ̀sán, ṣùgbọ́n a máa gba'yì lọ́jọ́ alẹ́.
- Literal translation
- A lamp is not valued in the afternoons, but does get appreciated at night.
- Meaning
- There's always a right time and place for everything; solutions are most appreciated during tough times
340
Àtùpà kì í níyì lọ́ọ̀sán, ṣugbọ̀n a máa gbayì lọ́jọ́ alẹ́.
- Literal translation
- A lamp is typically of little value in the afternoon, but do get appreciated at night.
- Meaning
- There's always a right time and place for everything.