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He who is not taught by his mother is taught by the world

Question: Have you learned more from you parents or from your experiences in the world? 


Today's proverb is often used in Swahili to describe a person who makes a mistake that could have been foreseen and suffers negative consequences... like the truck driver in this picture from Oxfordshire, UK. Regardless of what your parents taught you (or failed to teach you), you will eventually have to confront the harsh realities of life and learn from experience.
See also: If a child cries for a razor, give it to him (Mtoto akilia wembe, mpe)

He who is not taught by his parents is taught by the world. (Asofunzwa na wazazi, hufunzwa na ulimwengu)
Here's a poem by the poet Akilimali Snow-White about this proverb. (My translation from the original Swahili)

In the age they fooled me, my old folks in raising me,
I failed to learn the new movements of the world.
Today I please myself, to the people of the world, listen:
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

I couldn’t have done any work without humbling myself before them,
Obeying to flatter them, then to serve them,
Even when I pleased them, they taught me with intention,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

Now I can speak European languages without difficulty,
like English and others too,
With effort I learn, and even they have raised me.
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

I can converse without blemish,
And lead amidst evil, removing the blemish,
In the end the place pleases, one step towards harmony,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

There is nowhere I have overlooked, without investigation,
All sides examined, knowledge I have taken,
I even know how to sell products and buy,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

The amount which I have learned, not a little by fumbling,
I am pleasing where I come from, I employ good work
It’s hard to scorn, how it raises me,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

It’s not right to ignore what you don’t know
Try to investigate, and then analyze,
When your intention is tightened, you can’t fail to know a thing,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

The tasks I taught myself, my father didn’t know
He didn’t know English, or selling and buying,
but only praising oneself, that was when I, the child, knew,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world. 

I give more for you, you all who helped me,
All of you who’ve taught me, Lord give you health
God fill you all with happiness, and return goodness to you,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the people of the world.
- Diwani ya Akilimali

What do you think about this poem? What does it mean? Can you improve the translation?

Fikeni E. M. K. Senkoro (1988) wrote of this poem (my translation):
[A] person can't experience everything in life from their parents: they must be ready to be taught by the world-- that is to learn from others beyond their father and mother.

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Don't count your chickens before they hatch means that you shouldn't depend on a favorable outcome until it is certain. You shouldn't assume that all your eggs will hatch into healthy chicks and grow into chickens. Do you have a story about this proverb? Share below!

The first written record of this common English proverb is a sonnet written in 1570 by Thomas Howell:
“Count not thy Chickens that unhatched be,
Weigh words as wind, till thou find certainty ”

Many languages have proverbs that convey a similar principle.

Swahili:
“Tujivune hatimaye. ”

Let's praise ourselves at the end.

French:
“Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué.”

Don't sell the skin of the bear before killing it.

Arabic:
“لا تشتري السمك وهو في البحر بل انتظر حتى يصطاد”

Do not buy a fish while it is in the sea; wait until it is caught.

German:
“Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben.”

Don't praise the day before the evening.

Latin: 
“Ante victoriam ne canas triumphum”

Don't...

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This picture was created using AI. What do you think? What picture do you think would best illustrate this proverb?

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Methali hii ina maanisha hupaswi kutegemea matokeo mazuri kabla hayajatokea. Hupaswi kutegemea mayai yako yote yatakuwa vifaranga wenye afya nzuri. Je, una hadithi kuhusu methali hii? Toeni maoni!

Rekodi ya kwanza iliyoandikwa ya methali hii ya Kiingereza ni shairi iliyoandikwa mwaka wa 1570 na Thomas Howell:
“Usiwahesabu kuku wako ambao hawajaanguliwa,
Pima maneno kama upepo, hadi upate uhakika”

Lugha nyingi zina methali zinazofundisha kanuni karibu na hii. Mifano:

Kiswahili:
“Tujivune hatimaye.”

Kifaransa:
“Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué.”

Usiuze ngozi ya dubu kabla ya kumuua.

Kiarabu: 
“لا تشتري السمك وهو في البحر بل انتظر حتى يصطاد”

Usinunue samaki yumo baharini; subiri hadi itakapokamatwa.

Kijerumani:
“Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben.”

Usisifu siku moja kabla ya jioni.

Kilatini:
“Ante victoram ne canas triumphum”

Usiimbe shangwe kabla ya ushindi.

Kireno:
“Não conte com o ovo dentro da galinha.”

Usihesabu yai ndani ya kuku.

Picha hii ilichorwa kwa kutumia Akili Bandia (AI). Mnafikiriaje? Toeni maoni!

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This Russian Proverb was quoted by Pushkin in the novel "The Daughter of the Commandant":
“My parents gave me their blessing, and my father said to me—
  "Good-bye, Petr'; serve faithfully he to whom you have sworn fidelity; obey your superiors; do not seek for favours; do not struggle after active service, but do not refuse it either, and remember the
proverb, 'Take care of your coat while it is new, and of your honour while it is young.'"
  My mother tearfully begged me not to neglect my health.”

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“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” means that we should try to make the best out of difficult situations. Lemons are sour and bitter on their own, but by adding sugar and water turns sour lemons into a sweet refreshing drink. When life presents difficulties and challenges (lemons), we can be creative, resilient and flexible to transform these challenges into opportunities (lemonade).

Do you have a story about a time you turned a challenge into an opportunity? Do you know any other sayings that relate to the same principle? Comment below!
Here are some similar sayings from other cultures: 
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

“ اِصْنَعْ شَرَابًا حَلُّوا مِنْ حَامِض لَيْمُون الْحَيَاةِ.”

“Make a sweet drink from the acid of the lemon of life. ”

-Arabic Proverb
“जब भी जीवन में मुश्किलें आएँ तो उनका भी लाभ उठाएँ”

“When difficulties come into life, take advantage of them too. ”

-Hindi...

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"Maisha yakikupa limao, tengeneza juis" inamaanisha pale tunapokutana na changamoto, tunapaswa kujaribu kuzifanyia kazi  ili zibadilike kuwa fursa. Limao pekee ni chungu, lakini sukara na maji safi hugeuza limao chungu kuwa kinywaji kitamu cha kuburudisha. Maisha yanapoleta chungu na changamoto (limao), tunaweza kuwa wabunifu na wastahimilivu ili kubadilisha changamoto hizi kuwa fursa (juis).

Je, umewahi kubadilisha changamoto kuwa fursa?
Je! unajua misemo au mithani inayohusiana na kanuni hiyo hiyo?
Toeni maoni hapa chini!

Misemo inayohusiana kutoka kwa tamaduni mbalimbali:
Kizuizi cha hatua huendeleza hatua. Kinachosimama njiani kinakuwa njia.
- Tafakari za Marcus Aurelius (Roma ya Kale)
“اِصْنَعْ شَرَابًا حَلُّوا مِنْ حَامِض لَيْمُون الْحَيَاةِ”

“Tengeneza kinywaji kitamu kutoka kwa asidi ya limau ya maisha.”

-Methali ya Kiarabu 
“जब भी जीवन में मुश्किलें आएँ तो उनका भी लाभ उठाएँ
Matatizo yanapotokea, tumia fursa hiyo pia. ”

-Methali ya Kihindi

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Today's proverb "Haraka haraka haina baraka" literally translates to "Hurry hurry has no blessing"... but that doesn't rhyme, so we decided to go with "Haste makes waste." Which translation do you like better?  Have you ever rushed through something and regretted it later? Comment below... 

I see two possible interpretations of this proverb (in Swahili):
1. Patience: Hurry causes us to make mistakes, and those mistakes cause us to miss out on potential blessings.
2. Mindfulness: When we're in a hurry, we don't have time to notice or enjoy the blessings we have.  

What do you think? What's your interpretation?

Similar saying are common around the world:
Spanish: 
“No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano
(Waking up early doesn't make the sun rise any sooner)”

Chinese: 
“欲速则不达
(Haste makes waste)”

From the Sayings of Confucius (Analects, 13:17, page 92)
“When Tsz-hiá became governor of Kü-fu, and consulted him about government, he answered, "Do not wish for speedy results. Do...

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Methali ya leo ni "Haraka haraka haina baraka." Tafsiri yake kwa Kiingereza ni "Haste makes waste" au "Hurry hurry has no blessing" Mnaonaje - tafsiri ipi bora? Toeni maoni chini... 

Kwa upande wangu naona kwa mitazamo miwili. Methali hii inaweza kutufundisha:
1. Subira: Haraka husababisha makosa, na makosa hutuzuia baraka. (Nenda taratibu)
2. Mindfulness (yaani uwepo kiakili na utulivu): Tunapopoenda kwa haraka, hakuna muda wa kutambua, kutumia au kufurahia baraka tulizo nazo. 

Kuna misemo karibu na "haraka haraka haina baraka" katika nchi nyingi. Mifano: 
Kihispania: 
“No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano
(Kuamka mapema hakufanyi jua kuchomoza mapema)”

Kifaransa: 
“Tout vient a point a qui sait attendre
(Everything comes to those who wait)”

Kiswahili:
“ Pole pole ndio mwendo ”

Kichina: 
“欲速则不达”

Methali hii ya Kichina ni karibu na "Haraka haraka haina baraka". Inatoka kitabu cha Misemo ya Konfusio (Analects, 13:17, ona ukurasa wa 92):
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For example, imagine a young entrepreneur. She launches her first product and has immediate success. Encouraged, she starts making more and more ambitious plans. She decides to take out a large loan from the bank in order to launch more products and buy property. But the sales growth she was expecting does not materialize, and she finds herself falling behind on the loan payments. In the end, the business sinks deeper and deeper into debt and can't recover. If she had steered a "middle path," building on her success with small, moderate steps, and listening to her mentors, things might have ended differently.

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Methali ya leo inatoka katika hadithi ya Ugiriki ya Kale ya Ikarus ... na tuliwaandikia kitabu kifupi cha picha kuhusu hadithi ya Ikarus...

Soma sasa: 
Usiruke Karibu Sana na Jua

"Usiruke karibu sana na jua" ni onyo dhidi ya kiburi. Methali hii inatufundisha kwamba kiburi na tamaa vinaweza kuleta madhara mabaya ukipuuza  tahadhari, unyenyekevu na ushauri mzuri.

Kwa mfano, fikiria mjasiriamali mdogo. Anazindua bidhaa yake ya kwanza na anapata mafanikio ya haraka. Akiwa ametiwa moyo, anaanza kuweka mipango kabambe zaidi na zaidi. Anaamua kuomba mkopo mkubwa wa benki ili kuzindua bidhaa zaidi na kununua vifaa, mali na ardhi. Lakini ukuaji wa mauzo aliokuwa akitarajia haujitokezi, na anajikuta akichelewa na malipo ya mkopo. Hatimaye, biashara inazidi kuzama kwenye deni. Angeenda "njia ya kati," yaani kujenga mafanikio yake kwa hatua nyingi ndogo, na kusikiliza maonyo ya washauri wake, mambo yangeenda vizuri zaidi.

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Today's proverb means that people who are excessively proud are likely to fail. Success can make us overconfident, causing mistakes. Pride and ego can also blind us to our limitations and prevent us from seeing reality clearly.

On the other hand, in the modern world, many people see confidence and self-esteem as positive virtues. What is the difference between healthy and unhealthy pride? Share your thoughts below!

This proverb is often associated with the story of Icarus, from Greek mythology. (Spoiler alert for those who haven't check out our new picture book, "Don't Fly Too Close to the Sun"). Icarus was given wings made of feathers and wax by his father, Daedalus. He was warned not to fly too close to the sun, but Icarus ignored his father’s advice, proudly flying higher and higher. The sun melted the wax, and Icarus fell into the sea and drowned.

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Image from the painting by Caspar David Friedrich, 1817, "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog / Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer"

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