Proverbs are used to illustrate ideas, reinforce arguments and deliver messages of inspiration, consolation, celebration and advice.
The great Nigerian author Chinua Achebe once wrote: "Proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten."
Your proverbs from the last few months:
Friday 31 July
A bird that chooses to perch on a rope should be ready to dance with the rope. Sent by Emmanuel Ukaegbu, Chester, UK
Thursday 30 July
When a leopard is chasing you, do not ask if it is male or female. A Temne proverb from Sierra Leone sent by Ibn Jamel, London, UK
Wednesday 29 July
The papaya tree which bears sweet fruit always has a stick under it. An Akan proverb sent by Kwabens Kankam Boakye, Kumasi, Ghana
Tuesday 28 July
Whatever the type of firewood found in a place, it is usually good enough for the people of that place to cook with. An Igbo proverb sent by Chukwuemeka Ekere, Calabar, Nigeria
Monday 27 July
Hands wash each other. A Zulu and Swahili proverb sent by Steve Mazinga, St Francis Bay, South Africa
Friday 24 July
The earliest cow to the creek drinks clean water. A Luyana/Lozi proverb sent by Mulako Sianga, Kitwe, Zambia
Thursday 23 July
If one fish in the basket rots, they all rot. Sent by Deus Zakalia Mahlati Gondwe, Mzuzu, Malawi
Wednesday 22 July
The person whose father received a bullet in the head uses an iron pot as a helmet. An Igbo proverb sent by Chukwuebuka Bigseed Okafor, Awka, Nigeria
Tuesday 21 July
The family's oil is not for rubbing into the skin of strangers. A Kikuyu proverb sent by Paul Mbugua, Nairobi, Kenya
Monday 20 July
A frog does not jump backwards. Sent by Sunday Nyeleti, Lusaka, Zambia, and Idua Olunwa, Dallas, US
Friday 17 July
No matter how skilfully the chick dances, it will never please the hawk. Sent by Nyaku Selom & Julian Dzikunu from Ghana, and Albert Damptey-Boakye, Norway
Thursday 16 July
The skin of the leopard is beautiful, but not its heart. A Baluba proverb sent by Sydney K Mmanga, Blantyre, Malawi
Wednesday 15 July
Ears are beggars; they gather all they get hold of. A Bemba proverb sent by Kalunga Yoshua, Zambia
Tuesday 14 July
You do not look for a person wearing white cloth where the palm-oil maker works. A Yoruba proverb sent by Mohammed Hammed Olanrewaju, Abeokuta, Nigeria
Monday 13 July
Where a horse is absent, a donkey appears. An Oromo proverb sent by Chala Dejenu, Finfine, Oromia, Ethiopia
Friday 10 July
If you carry a hyena on your back, dogs will bark at you. A Wolof proverb sent by Pa Sallah Drammeh, Banjul, The Gambia
Thursday 9 July
An ox hide must be folded to a shape one wants while it is still fresh. An Ndebele proverb from Zimbabwe sent by Thoman Sikowelo, Johannesburg, South Africa
Wednesday 8 July
Mine is different from ours. An Igala proverb sent by Sani Adamu, Jos, Nigeria, and Christy Etim Esin, Atlanta, US
Tuesday 7 July
It's preferable to fight with a friend than to cheat him. An Oromo proverb sent by Berhanmeskel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Monday 6 July
Good news is the ears' favourite dish. An Ewe proverb sent by James Agblevor, Accra, Ghana
Tuesday 30 June
Do not fight for a guinea fowl that has been caught in someone else's net. An Acholi proverb sent by Martin Okwir, Lira, Uganda
Monday 29 June
The stomach that contains truth cannot be pierced even with a knife. A Hausa proverb sent by Kyomson, Prague, The Czech Republic
Friday 26 June
One frog can ruin everyone's water. A Luo proverb sent by Ronald Ogwal, Uganda
Thursday 25 June
Unexpected rainfall allows goats and sheep to seek shelter under the same roof. Sent by Henson King, Monrovia, Liberia
Wednesday 24 June
Twenty friends will not continue hanging out for 20 years. A Yoruba proverb sent by Wale Adejuyigbe, Kent, The UK
Tuesday 23 June
A man's beauty is judged by the number of cows he owns. A Zulu proverb sent by Bruce Sithole, Durban, South Africa
Monday 22 June
Rushing is not the best way to start a fire. A Ugandan proverb sent by Ken, London, The UK
Friday 19 June
Do not compete with an elephant when it comes to passing stools. A Swahili proverb sent by Roland Ebole, Nairobi, Kenya
Thursday 18 June
The fork on the road made the hyena miss the party. A Lango proverb sent by Patrick Odongo, Kitgum, Uganda
Wednesday 17 June
He who burnt in a fire always fears ashes. A Somali proverb sent by Young Mohadish Salad, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Tuesday 16 June
One does not count the fingers of nine-fingered person in his or her presence. A Yoruba proverb sent by Abimbola Oladiran, Jos, Nigeria
Monday 15 June
You should not sleep outside just because someone else did it and was lucky. A Tonga proverb sent by Peter Mulekwa Gotola, Lusaka, Zambia
Friday 12 June
When they wish to eat a vulture, they call it a guinea fowl. An Ethiopian proverb sent by Yibekal Abebe Tessema, Zurich, Swizerland
Thursday 11 June
If you see someone who is afraid of being identified, he is guilty of something. A Hausa proverb sent by Safynaz Isabelle Cisse, London, The UK
Wednesday 10 June
A wise visitor leaves firewood behind. A Tonga proverb sent by Moses, Choma, Zambia
Tuesday 9 June
The forest yields when you are tired. A Shona proverb sent by Kudzai Makomva, Harare, Zimbabwe
Monday 8 June
A single palm kernel does not get lost in the fire. An Igbo proverb from Nigeria sent by Obi Ozonzeadi, London, The UK
Friday 5 June
A horse may take you to the battlefield, but it will not fight for you. An Amharic proverb from Ethiopia sent by Abebe Mekuria, Woodbridge, Canada
Thursday 4 June
A dish which is going to be tasty will smell good when it boils. A Wolof proverb sent by Coura Fall, Dakar, Senegal
Wednesday 3 June
Someone who talks about a wound talks about a wound that he has had before. A Tonga proverb sent by Peter Mulekwa Gotola, Lusaka, Zambia
Tuesday 2 June
Bad counsel may cause you to fall into an abyss. A Somali proverb sent by Abshir Fire Cadde, Nelspruit, South Africa
Monday 1 June
When a mother elephant blows its trumpet, the baby elephant stays quiet. A Yoruba proverb from Nigeria sent by Collins Fadare, London, UK
Friday 29 May
Plenty is still; hunger is a wanderer. A Zulu proverb sent by Tarikua Getachew, Ethiopia
Thursday 28 May
An elephant does not see the fleas on its body, but sees those on others. A Somali proverb sent by Abdi, Faribault, The US
Wednesday 27 May
When your grandmother tells you something, you don't run to your mother to ask if it's the truth. A Baoule proverb sent by Ameyedowo Carlos, Accra, Ghana
Tuesday 26 May
A bird hanging between two branches will get bitten on both wings. An Ethiopian proverb sent by Den, Houston, The US
Monday 25 May
A woman who began cooking before others must have more broken utensils. An Igbo proverb from Nigeria sent by Nnamdi A Udoye, London, The UK
Friday 22 May
A cockroach who dances well does not do it when the foul is present. Sent by Kojo Asare, Japan
Thursday 21 May
Life, like a wheel, turns. A Setswana proverb sent by IndomitableGg Phaladi, Gaborone, Botswana
Wednesday 20 May
The camel that burnt in the maize field knows what a fire is. A Somali proverb sent by Ali Ahmed, Kenya
Tuesday 19 May
When the black ant bites the buttocks, the buttocks learn a lesson. An Igbo proverb from Nigeria sent by Chikaodili Deng, Toulouse, France
Monday 18 May
A bone that is forced into the cooking pot breaks the pot. A Chewa proverb sent by Frank Mithi, Mzuzu, Malawi
Friday 15 May
If you see a pregnant goat in the market, it means that there are pregnant troubles at home. A Dagbani proverb sent by Abdulai Abdul Rauf, Tamale, Ghana
Thursday 14 May
Wisdom is like hair, everyone has their own. A Swahili proverb sent by Bruno Onindo, Halifax, Canada; Winnie Muthoni, Murang'a, Kenya, and Tez Lore, Nairobi, Kenya
Wednesday 13 May
The camel that likes two herds is eaten by the lion between them. Sent by Nur Aabdi, Mogadishu, Somalia
Tuesday 12 May
It is the dirty hand that produces the oily mouth. An Igbo proverb from Nigeria sent by Rev Joshua Amaezechi, Michigan, The US
Monday 11 May
It is only a foolish dog which barks at an elephant. Sent by Mung´omba Ngoma, Luanda, Angola
Friday 8 May
The locust flies away but leaves hardship behind. A Somali proverb sent by Ali Aman, Berbera, Somaliland
Thursday 7 May
Do not stir my stew while yours is burning. An Ethiopian proverb sent by Selam K, Minneapolis, The US
Wednesday 6 May
If you eat the fruit of a big tree, don't forget to thank the wind. A Baatonu/Bariba proverb from Benin sent by Yvon Atsiba, Quebec, Canada
Tuesday 5 May
The sleep that lasts from one market day to another becomes death. An Igbo proverb sent by Ihunegbo Oluchi, Enugu, Nigeria
Monday 4 May
It is difficult to throw a stone at a lizard that is clinging to a pot. An Ashanti proverb sent by George Cantreph, Accra, Ghana
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