List of Ghanaian Proverbs Sayings

Ghana, a country rich in culture and tradition, has a treasure trove of proverbs that have been passed down through generations. These proverbs encapsulate the wisdom, beliefs, and values of the Ghanaian people and are used to impart knowledge, offer advice, and express timeless truths. Here are some notable Ghanaian proverbs and their meanings:

1. "By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed." - This proverb emphasizes the importance of being proactive and not waiting until it's too late to take action.

2. "A bird does not change its feathers because the weather is bad." - This proverb encourages steadfastness and staying true to oneself despite challenging circumstances.

3. "The frown on the face of the goat will not stop it from being taken to the market." - This proverb conveys the idea that worrying about a situation does not change its outcome and that some things are beyond our control.

4. "No one tests the depth of a river with both feet." - This proverb advises caution and the need to assess a situation before fully committing to it.

5. "The lizard nods its head when no one does." - This proverb highlights the importance of self-reliance and the ability to persist even when others are not supportive.

These proverbs are just a few examples of the wisdom that can be found in Ghanaian culture. They serve as a reminder of the enduring values and lessons that have sustained Ghanaian society for centuries.

A powerful deity is the one to whom sacrifices are offered.

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When a king has good counsellors, his reign is peaceful.

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It is the wife who knows her husband.

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Hunger is felt by a slave and hunger is felt by a king.

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One strong man does not catch another strong man.

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It is the fool's sheep that break loose twice.

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When a deceiving man tells you to climb a tree, tell him to climb it first. If he finds a comfortable spot you can follow him.

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A calf that is sucking does not bellow.

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If you find no fish, you have to eat bread.

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One lie ruins a thousand truths.

It is the fool whose own tomatoes are sold to him.

Rain beats on a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the spots.

A stranger dances - he does not sing.

Even the elephant can fan off flies with its short tail.

One knows even when one neighbor’s bread is in the oven.

Two small antelopes can beat one big one.

When a man's coat is threadbare, it is easy to pick a hole in it.

If you go too near your relatives, they will not respect you.

One should never rub bottoms with a porcupine.

Even if the old woman has no teeth, her tiger nuts remain in her own bag.

If the strong man has nothing else, he can at least command others.

What people get by hard work they don't get for their neighbors.

A stranger dances - he does not sing.

I will get it because I can, one says with a reason.

If the building of a nest were easy, would the little “apatipers” bird roost in the fork of a tree?

One palm nut cannot be peeled twice.

By going and coming, a bird weaves its nest.

What is bad luck for one man is good luck for another.

If you come near the river, you will hear the crab cough.

What people get by hard work they don’t get for their neighbors.

People working on the slope of a mountain do not look at the buttocks of one another.

A child does not laugh at the ugliness of his mother.

We must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today.

However high you lift the kid goat, you place it gently on the ground.

When a man is wealthy he may wear an old cloth.

A woman is like a blanket: If you cover yourself with it, it bothers you; if you throw it aside you will feel the cold.

The good wife at her husband’s home, the other one is at her parent’s home.

Rain wets a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the spots.

One knows even when one neighbor's bread is in the oven.

Times keep changing.

If you take your tongue to the pawnshop, you can't redeem it later.

When the bag tears, the shoulders get a rest.

Death has the key to open the miser's chest.

If you are in hiding, don't light a fire.

A child who is to be successful is not reared exclusively on a bed of down.

There is no medicine to cure hatred.

If two proverbs are not similar, one is not used to explain the other.

He who seems to be for you may be working against you.

One is born, one dies; the land increases.

When the cock is drunk, he forgets about the hawk.

It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man.

Since the beggar would come any way, it's best to invite him first.

An army is driven back by courage and not by insults, however many.

There is no distinction among the common baskets made of palm branches.

If a woman gets rich she changes into a man.

Even though the sound of the horn is not pleasant, it is still blown by a man’s mouth.

Even though the old man is strong and hearty, he will not live forever.

When the palm nuts ripen, you carry half and I carry half.

If we knew where death resided, we would never stay there.

The army of the palm tree is its branches.

One falsehood spoils a thousand truths.

There is bound to be a knot in a very long string.

Rain beats on a leopard’s skin, but it does not wash out the spots.

A crab does not beget a bird.

If youthful pride were wealth, then every man would have had it in his lifetime.

Fire and gunpowder are not bedfellows.

The blood soup made of one palm nut is shared in little drops.

One cannot both feast and become rich.

The witch kills "he ate and he did not give me", but she does not kill, "he gave me too little."

If an opportunity is not taken when it comes, it passes away.

A slave does not choose his master.

When women increase in wealth, they are silent. But when they fall into trouble, the whole world gets to know.

It is not only one person who bathes in the witch’s water.

When you are rich, you are resented; when you are poor, you are despised.

One camel does not make fun of another camel's hump.

If two selfish young men sit next to a pot of water, the water spills out on the ground.

The chicken also knows when it's morning, but still watches the mouth of the cock.

Do not call the forest that shelters you a jungle.

The witch is going! The witch is going! but if you are not a witch you don't turn around to look.

It is easy to become a monk in one's old age.

Nobody is shamed twice.

When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him.

The family is like the forest: if you are outside, it is dense; if you are inside, you see that each tree has its own position.

He who is guilty has much to say.

If things are getting easier, maybe you're headed downhill.

The white man lives in the castle; when he dies, he lies in the ground.

A cracked bell can never sound well.

If God breaks your leg, He will teach you how to limp.

The good wife at her husband's home, the other one is at her parent's home.

No one tests the depth of the river with both feet.

Wisdom is not like money to be tied up and hidden.

The surface of the water is beautiful, but it is no good to sleep on.

Even though the peel of the palm nut has no pulpy substance in it, it is stripped off all the same.

The witch is going! The witch is going! but if you are not a witch you don’t turn around to look.

It is no shame at all to work for money.

A woman is like a rat: even if it grows up in your house, it steals from you.

The strength of the palm tree is in its branches.

It's the fool's sheep that breaks loose twice.

Wood already touched by fire is not hard to set alight.

The grasshopper which is always near its mother eats the best food.

No one boasts of what belongs to another.

Even though the sound of the horn is not pleasant, it is still blown by a man's mouth.

The blacksmith in one village becomes a blacksmith’s apprentice in another.

If the hunter comes back with mushrooms, don't ask him how his hunt was.

The soul of a rich man has no taboos.

Little palm tree, stop crying, you child is the tall palm tree.

By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed.

You can always buy her back later.

The left hand washes the right and the right washes the left.

He who falls victim to his enemies can expect no mercy.

A healthy person who begs for food is an insult to a generous farmer.

The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.

Nature gave us two cheeks instead of one to make it easier to eat hot food.

If power can be bought then sell your mother to get it. *

You cannot hide behind your finger.

The monkey says there is nothing better than poverty to unlearn man of his conceit.

Look to the past to help us move forward in the future.

Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together.

The moon moves slowly, but it gets across the town.

It is not only one person who bathes in the witch's water.

Money is sharper than a sword.

A Worthy cause is worth pursuing to the end.

The rich man may wear old clothes.

If the building of a nest were easy, would the little "apatipers" bird roost in the fork of a tree?

Every one hates the red ant on a kola nut because he cannot eat or sell it.

You cannot kill an elephant with bullets of wax.

A good woman should be as bright as sunshine, as black as ink, and as sweet as honey.

If there were no elephant in the jungle, the buffalo would be a great animal.

The poor man and the rich man do not play together.

A knife does not know who is its master.

It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.

It is easy to become a monk in one’s old age.

Marriage is like a groundnut: you have to crack them to see what is inside.

You make a new arrow by comparing it to an old one.

Hate has no medicine.

The responsibility of power is like holding an egg. Grasp it too tightly and it will drip through your fingers; hold it too loosely and it will drop and break.

It is only one bad palm tree that spoils the whole lot of palm wine.

The prickly branches of the palm tree do not show preference even to friends.

Since the beggar would come any way, it’s best to invite him first.

A woman is a flower in a garden; her husband is the fence around it.

If the goat says it will become a sheep, there will always be black spots on its body.

Misfortune does not restrict his visits to one day.

The rain wets the leopard's spots but does not wash them off.

Only when you have crossed the river, can you say the crocodile has a lump on his snout.