Haitian Proverbs | Pawòl Granmoun
299 Proverbs | Pwovèb
Haitian Creole
English
Anpil ti patat fè chay.
A lot of small sweet potatoes make a load.
Men anpil, chay pa lou.
Many hands make the load lighter.
Aprè dans, tanbou toujou lou.
After the dance, the drums are always heavy.
Avan ou ri moun bwete, gade jan ou mache.
Before you laugh at those who limp, check the way you walk.
Avèk pasyans, w ap wè tete foumi.
With patience, you will see an ant's teats.
Ayisyen swiv kouran.
Haitians follow the flow.
Bay kou, bliye; pote mak, sonje.
You give a blow, you forge; when you leave marks, they remember.
Kapon antere manman yo.
Cowards live long enough to bury their mothers (because they don't expose themselves to danger)
Ak tan piti vin gran.
With time the little becomes big.
Abondans byen pa nwi.
An abundance of wealth doesn't hurt.
Ak po w ou vini, ak po w ou prale.
You came with only your skin, and that's the way you're going back.
Tanbou prete pa janm fè bon dans.
Borrowed drums never make good music.
Ti chen gen fòs devan kay mèt li.
A little dog is really brave in front of his master's house.
Ti moun fwonte grandi devan Bawon.
An impudent child grows up under Baron (Guardian of the cemetery)..
Ravèt pa janm gen rezon devan poul.
Roaches are never right when facing chickens.
Sonje lapli ki leve mayi ou.
Remember the rain that made your corn grow.
Moun pa se dra.
A good friend is like a cloak.
Nan tan grangou patat pa gen po.
In times of famine, sweet potatoes have no skin.
Ou konn kouri, men ou pa konn kache.
You know how to run, but you don’t know how to hide.
Se bon kè krapo ki fè l san tèt. .
It is because the toad is too kindhearted that he has no head.
Piti, piti, zwazo fè nich li.
Little by little the bird builds its nest.
Konstitisyon se papye, bayonèt se fè.
The constitution is paper, bayonets are steel.
Rache manyòk ou bay tè a blanch.
Uproot the manioc, and clear the land.
Bèl antèman pa di paradi.
A beautiful funeral doesn't guarantee heaven.
Milat pòv se nèg, nèg rich se milat.
A poor mulatto is black, a wealthy black is mulatto.