Rodgers Dictionary of Proverbs
It is the same life whether we spend it
crying or laughing.
It is the same moon that wanes today that
will be the full moon tomorrow.
It is the sauce that makes the fish edible.
It is the season not the soil that brings the
crop.
It is the seed of the umya.
It is the self-love of the king parrot that
made him become a talkative.
It is the small expenses that empty your
purse.
It is the snake that smells the rat.
It is the softness of the lime that is fatal to
the bird.
It is the soil that knows that the mouse's
baby is ill.
It is the spirit that walks a person through
darkness.
It is the still and silent sea that drowns a
man.
It is the taste that tells the tale.
It is the tone that makes the music.
It is the toothless animal that arrives first at
the base of the fruit tree, to eat his fill
before others arrive.
It is the trapped animal that makes the most
noise.
It is the traveller who carries the news.
It is the tree that gives its nature to the fruit.
It is the truth that irritates a person.
It is the very backbone of wisdom not to
trust too hastily.
It is the voyage not the ship that matters.
It is the wandering dog that finds the old
bone.
It is the wife who knows her husband.
It is the woman whose child has been eaten
by a witch who best knows the evils of
witchcraft.
It is the work of one's hands that decides
what one eats for dinner - for some it is
pounded yam, for others it is pounded
plantain or nothing.
It is thou must honour the place, not the
place thee.
It is time enough to take off your hat when
368
you see the man.
It is to please herself that the cat purrs.
It is too late for a galloping horse to stop at a
clip; it is useless for a sinking boat to be
mended in the middle of a river.
It is too late for the bird to scream when it is
caught.
It is too late for you, let God give your
children some intelligence.
It is too late to call back yesterday.
It is too late to come with water when the
house is burnt down.
It is too late to cover the well when the child
is drowned.
It is too late to cry "Hold hard!" when the
arrow has left the bow.
It is too late to cry cat, when the bacon is
eaten.
It is too late to learn to swim when the water
is up to your lips.
It is too late to lock the stable door when the
horses have already been stolen.
It is too late to lock the stable door when the
steed is stolen.
It is too late to shut the stable-door after the
horse has bolted.
It is too late to throw water on the cinders
when the house is burnt down.
It is too much to expect of a cat that she
should sit by the milk and not lap it.
It is true that all men sayes.
It is truth that makes a many angry.
It is unclear who has money and who faith.
It is ungentlemanly to lie; truthfulness
becomes the gentleman.
It is unlucky to marry in May.
It is unpleasant to go alone, even to be
drowned.
It is unwise for one to think that a hen will
ever be accorded respect in the land of
the hawks.
It is unwise to be financially dependent on
someone else.
It is up to the people to feed the dogs; it's up
to the Cardias to feed the Turks.