Moroccan Proverbs

Worldly goods come from avarice or what is forbidden.

If your son turns out to be a thief,
give him up even though he will be mad.

A garden without a fence is like a dog without a tail.

The mouse in its hole is a king.

The mind of a workman is in his stomach.

❖

There is no beauty but the beauty of action.

Speech and action make the perfect conduct.

One fish makes the basket stink.

Every country has its beauty.

He who becomes fat must become thin,
and he who flies must come down.

❖

Choose the neighbor before the house,
and the companion before the road.

The snake does not bite itself.

Fish are not bought at the bottom of the sea.

The early breakfast is bought with gold.

Strength breaks the plough.

❖

The camel does not see his own hump,
he sees only the hump of his brother.

A herd of cattle should not be without a bull.

A man without children is like a horse without a tether.

Into a closed mouth no fly will enter.

An unjust government is better than corrupt subjects.

❖

The river is not crossed without a ford.

An old cat will not learn dancing.

An agreement is a kind of debt.

Women are defective in understanding and religion.

What God wills, what God desires, that will be.

❖

The secret of a discussion is only between two.

Misfortune draws misfortune in its train.

Obedience to women makes one enter hell.

After every affliction there is enjoyment.

Every day has its fare.

❖

The hen lays an egg, and the cock feels pain in his bottom.

The friend is known in the time of difficulty.

The miser is like a donkey, he carries gold and silver and wants straw.

The good supper is known by its odor.

Marriage without good faith is like a teapot without a tray.

❖

Learning is better than goods.

A stone from the hand of a friend is an apple.

The oppressor will not be helped by God.

He who digs a pit for his brother will fall into it.

People know people, and horses know their riders.

❖

The learning of things is better than the ignorance of them.

What the devil does in a year an old woman does in an hour.

Instruction in old age is like engraving in dung.

Instruction in youth is like engraving in stones.

The iron is struck while it is hot.

❖

Fright is worse than a blow.

The food is according to the year.

Wine is the key of all evil.

Everything is useful, except that lies and slander bring no profit.

Assistance conquers a lion.

❖

Truth is a lion, and lies are a hyena.

Opportunity kills a lion.

He who loves honey should be patient of the stinging of the bees.

Endurance pierces marble.

Chance is better than meeting by agreement.

❖

Hunger is a slave, and satiation is its mistress.

He who sows thorns must walk on them barefoot.

An old monkey does not learn dancing.

To pass the night in the cold is better than the hospitality of a monkey.

Work for the sake of the children is better than
pilgrimage and the holy war.

❖

If the prices are equal, choose the best.

Charity does not come out of a prison.

A man who is pure and gentle is to the people like gold in the pocket.

Repentance for silence is better than repentance for speaking.

He who sows evil will harvest repentance.

❖

If he steals a needle, he will steal a cow.

He who makes a rascal suffer obtains reward.

The guest is a guest, even if he stays a winter or a summer.

The cold teaches one to steal charcoal.

Don't show the mouse the door of the house.

❖

Haste is the sister of repentance.

A curse without causes does not pass through the door.

If you help a gambler, it is as if you throw a hair into the fire.

Two bulls do not get on together in the same pen.

Abundance of money is a trial for a man.

❖

The visitor is under the rule of the visited one.

A veil of rope is better than breach of custom.

When the soap comes to an end, the washerwoman rejoices.

He who marries a young woman gets welfare and a treasure.

The cunning of women is strong, and the cunning of the devil is weak.

❖

The wonders of the world are more numerous than its misfortunes.

Never will salt become worm eaten.

The wound caused by words is worse than the wound of bodies.

Dress according to your size, and associate with your equal.

The beauty of the man is his intelligence,
and the intelligence of the woman is in her beauty.

❖

Useless talk is not worth a match.

Don't marry an old woman, even though you will eat
with her young pigeons and lamb's meat.

❖❖❖

Reading books removes sorrows from the heart. ~ Moroccan Proverb [18209]

Week End Pleasure, 2007
By Lilie Mélo from France
[CC-BY-2.0],
via Wikimedia Commons

More African Proverbs

To see more Illustrated Proverbs click here.

16, POTD, Proverb of the Day,

The camel carries the load, but it is the tick that complains. ~ Moroccan Proverb [18836]

More African Proverbs

The tar of my country is better than the honey of others. ~ Moroccan Proverb [18659]

More African Proverbs

The pumpkin gives birth and the fence has the trouble. ~ Moroccan Proverb [18657]

More African Proverbs

Little by little, the camel goes into the couscous. ~ Moroccan Proverb [17663]

More African Proverbs

Into a closed mouth no fly will enter. ~ Moroccan Proverb [17365]

More African Proverbs

Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone. ~ Moroccan Proverb [17361]

More African Proverbs

If you don't understand it with a wink, you certainly will with a blow. ~ Moroccan Proverb [17175]

More African Proverbs

If you are a peg, endure the knocking; if you are a mallet, strike. ~ Moroccan Proverb [17172]

More African Proverbs

If a man leaves little children behind him, it is as if he did not die. ~ Moroccan Proverb [17156]

More African Proverbs

Evening promises are like butter: morning comes, and it's all melted. ~ Moroccan Proverb [16422]

More African Proverbs

Either do as your neighbors do, or move away. ~ Moroccan Proverb [16371]

More African Proverbs

Compete, don't envy. ~ Moroccan Proverb [16041]

More African Proverbs

An old cat will not learn how to dance. ~ Moroccan Proverb [15717]

More African Proverbs

An agreement is a kind of debt. ~ Moroccan Proverb [15705]

More African Proverbs

Among walnuts only the empty one speaks. ~ Moroccan Proverb [15673]

More African Proverbs

Abundance of money is a trial for a man. ~ Moroccan Proverb [15566]

More African Proverbs