130 Malagasy Proverbs / Page 6
101.
The end of an ox is beef, and the end of a lie is grief.102.
The food which is prepared has no master.103.
The king inherits a country -- the people only hard work.104.
The lazy man who goes to borrow a spade says, "I hope I will not find one."105.
The sin for which you repent is the father of virtue; but a virtue that you talk about, is the mother of sin.106.
They who drink the water from the Manangareza river always come back to Madagascar.107.
Those who know how to swim are the ones who sink.108.
Those who rush things too much, without reflection, can be surpassed by those who take their time.109.
To deny God's existence is like jumping with your eyes closed.110.
To love the law is to lose money.111.
Truth is like sugar cane; even if you chew it for a long time, it is still sweet.112.
Wealth is like hair in the nose: it hurts to be separated whether from a little or from a lot.113.
When the crocodiles leave, the caymans come.114.
When the ducks are quacking the frogs take it as a warning.115.
When the king reigns it is thanks to the people; when a river sings it's thanks to the stones.116.
When you are looking for a country with no tombstones you will find yourself in the land of cannibals.117.
When you treat someone like a wild cat, he will steal your chickens.118.
Whichever hand is cut, the whole body feels the pain.119.
Without the forest, there will be no more water, without water, there will be no more rice.120.
Words are like eggs: when they are hatched they have wings.