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Proverbs

Haste makes waste (Haraka haraka haina baraka)

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Updated 4mo ago
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Brighid McCarthy
View this proverb in Swahili
Haraka haraka haina baraka
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 not look at trivial advantages. If you wish for speedy results, they will not be far-reaching; and if you regard trivial advantages you will not successfully deal with important affairs."
French: 
Tout vient a point a qui sait attendre
(Everything comes to those who wait)
Kiswahili: 
Pole pole ndio mwendo
(Slow slow is the way to go)

In the book "More Swahili Proverbs from East Africa" Kalugila and Lodhi use this proverb as a good example of traditional Swahili poetic meter and rhyme scheme. (See sources)
Haraka haraka haina baraka
aaba, 3+3/3+3 
 Say it out loud a couple times... it's pretty fun to say. (Note: it's pronounced "hah-ee-na" like the animal.) 

I asked AI how I could apply Haraka haraka haina baraka in my daily life. Here's some of the advice I got: (edited)
  1. Planning: Before you undertake any task, take the time to plan. Break down large tasks into smaller manageable steps, and give yourself enough time to complete each step well.
  2. Decision Making: Avoid making quick, impulsive decisions, especially on important matters. List all of your options, weigh the pros and cons, seek advice, and then make an informed choice.
  3. Learning: Instead of trying to rush through a book, class or homework exercise, go slowly, ask questions, and reread until you fully understand the material. This way you will truly learn and remember the information, rather than forgetting it quickly. You'll also enjoy learning a lot more!
  4. Relationships: Building strong relationships takes time. Whether it's with friends, family, or romantic partners, don't rush. Invest time in getting to know the person, understanding them, and building a strong foundation.
  5. Work: Try to prioritize quality over speed, and take breaks to avoid burnout. Avoid rushing through your tasks just to get them over with. This not only results in higher quality work but also helps you learn and grow in your role.
  6. Health: Don't look for quick fixes or shortcuts when it comes to your health. Regular exercise, healthy eating, and adequate sleep are all essential, and they require time and commitment.
  7. Self-Improvement: Personal growth and development is a gradual process. Don’t rush it. Set achievable goals, work towards them step by step, and appreciate the small victories along the way.
  8. Mindfulness: Pay attention to where you are and what you are doing. When eating, savor each bite.  When walking, notice the sensation of each step. When speaking with someone, give them your full attention. "Haraka haraka haina baraka," teaches us to value the journey, not just the destination. 

Pretty solid advice, I'd say... Look forward to reading your comments :)

Related books on Maktaba:
Interpersonal Communication - A Mindful Approach to Relationships
Analects of Confucius (English Translation)
Methali za Kiswahili - Swahili Proverbs ukurasa wa 202
More Swahili Proverbs from East Africa: Methali zaidi za kiswahili toka Afrika Mashariki by Leonidas Kalugila and Abdulaziz Y. Lodhi, Page 85: 
Sources
Haraka haraka haina baraka
Swahili proverb on Wiktionary - "Haraka haraka haina baraka"
Swahili Proverbs about Hurry and Patience collected by Albert Scheven, Center for African Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Google translate shows "Haste makes waste" translates to "Haraka haraka haina baraka" and this translation was "reviewed by contributors." However, notice if you reverse them (back translate to English) on Google translate, it changes to "Haste has no blessing." Hm...

More Swahili Proverbs from East Africa: Methali zaidi za kiswahili toka Afrika Mashariki by Leonidas Kalugila and Abdulaziz Y. Lodhi, Page 85:
Historically, proverbs seem to have preceded poetry, and Swahili poets have had access to the abundance of proverbs treasured by the bearers of the oral tradition. Early proverbs were most certainly formed in a poetic fashion that gradually became more refined and established generally accepted prosodic forms. The most common Swahili proverbs, and which are rather short, have 6, 8, 12 or 16 syllables (mizani), and many of them appear in poems and songs as lines (mistari), hemistichs or half-lines (vipande), or as refrains (mikarara). There are many examples of a p0em which starts with a proverb and is in fact an elaboration of it. In the following examples from different poems, we find the 3+3 rhyOhm i.e. 6 syllables with a medial caesurae (kituo) having a penultimate stress: 
Akili ni mali. -  Intelligence is an asset.
Mahaba ni haba. - Love is worth little.
Mapenzi majonzi. - Love brings melancholy.
The caesurae in a proverb causing the 2, 3 or 4 hemistichs is a rhythmic break equivalent to a caesurae in a well-balanced poem, and the various resulting rhymes can be described as follows:
Haraka haraka, haina baraka. (aaba, 3+3/3+3) Hurry, hurry, has no blessings / Haste makes waste.
(Kwa) haba na haba, hujaza kibaba. (aaba, 3+3/3+3) Little by little fills up the measure.


Proverbs in other languages:
Chinese proverb (Wiktionary)
Spanish proverb (Wiktionary)
French proverb (le dictionnaire Orthodidacte)
"The French Seen through Their Proverbs and Proverbial Expressions" by Henri F. Muller (1943) (JSTOR - paywall)
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Other proverbs
To the victor go the spoils
The winner of a competition or conflict receives the majority or entirety of the rewards, and possibly additional benefits beyond what was being fought over. 

In war, the spoils could refer to land, gained power or other sought after resources. In other pursuits the spoils typically refer to accolades, money or opportunities.

The proverb is typically used to explain unequal outcomes or to remind others that the stakes of many conflicts are winner take all, zero sum, or at the very least, disproportionately favorable to the few winners.

Check out the sources section for a description of the context and information about the US politician who was credited with the phrase (in the 1830s).
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Updated 4mo ago
by
Scott M
Mtoto akilia wembe, mpe
Habari zenu wapenzi wa lugha na hekima! Karibuni tena katika kipindi chetu cha leo cha Methali! Methali ya leo ni “Mtoto akilia wembe, mpe.” Je, unaijua? Kwa walezi wengi, inaweza kuonewa… kali sana, au sivyo? Ina maana gani kwako? Je, unakubaliana nayo? Tushirikiane mawazo. 

Nikisikia nitasahau, nikiona nitakumbuka, nikifanya nitaelewa.
-Mwalimu Amos 

Mtoto akitaka wembe, basi mpe ili aelewe kwanini alionywa dhidi ya kucheza nao. Methali hii inaonyesha umuhimu wa kuwapa watu nafasi za kujifunza kutokana na uzoefu wao wenyewe, hata kama wanaweza kuumiwa (kidogo). Vilevile, hata ukikataa kumpa, labda hatatiii na atacheza nao ukiwa nje. Methali hii inaweza kutumika pia kama onyo kwa mtu anayepuuza ushauri au kusisitiza njia yake. Ingawa ni muhimu kusikiliza ushauri na maonyo kutoka kwa wengine, wakati mwingine tunahitaji kuona matokeo ya vitendo vyetu wenyewe ili kuelewa madhara yake. 

Adhabu ya Asili  (Natural Consequences)

Katika eneo la malezi, methali hii inafundisha kanuni ya Natural Consequences (Adhabu Halisi au Adhabu ya Asili). Adhabu ya asili ni matokeo yatakayokuja kwa sababu ya tabia ya mtoto mwenyewe. Tofauti na adhabu ya kutolewa au adhabu ya viboko, adhabu ya asili hujitokeza bila mlezi kujiingilia. Kwa mfano, fikiria kama mwanako amesahau daftari yake nyumbani. Ungefanyaje? Wazazi wengine wanajibu “Singefanya chochote, maana atahitaji kueleza kwa mwalimu wake.” Wengine wanasema “Ningekimbia shuleni ili kumletea daftari, halafu jioni ningempa adhabu.” Ipi bora?  Jibuni hapo chini… 

Swali: Je, mtoto akilia nyoka utampa?

Sawa tumekubaliana mtoto akilia wembe, mpe. Lakini… fikiria kama mtoto analia kitu cha hatari zaidi— je utakubali? Yesu aliwauliza wazazi: “Mtoto akiomba samaki, je, atampa nyoka?” Akilia nyoka, utampa? Wembe unaweza kusababisha jeraha ndogo, lakini si hatari sana kama nyoka mwenye sumu. 
Wewe kama mzazi, utakubali kiasi gani cha hatari ili ajifunze mwenyewe? Kama anaomba kuacha masomo ili kucheza michezo za simu sikuzote? Kama anaomba kumwoa/kumwolewa na mtu ambaye haumwamini katika umri mdogo? Yaani pia kuna maamuzi muhimu ambayo watoto hawako tayari kujifanyia. 
Je wewe kama mzazi unawezaje kuamua au kutambua kama unapaswa kumwokoa / kumlinda mwanako, ama kama unapaswa kumwachia afunzwe na ulimwengu? Wazazi na walezi wote tunaomba maoni yenu!

Nyoka ana madhara.
-Mwalimu Shila  

Utekelezaji wa methali hii katika maisha ya kila siku

Elimu: Watu hukumbuka walichojifunza kwa vitendo kuliko walichoambiwa kwa maneno. Utafute nafasi za kutekeleza kile unachojifunza.
Malezi: Mpe mtoto uhuru na nafasi za kujifunza kupitia uzoefu. Usimtatulie kila jambo, na usiogope anapofeli, kama hakuna hatari wala madhara ya muda mrefu, maana kufeli ni nafasi ya kujifunza kwake.
Kusikiliza: Ukipuuza maonyo na shauri, usishangaye kuona madhara yaliyotabiriwa.
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Picha hii imetengenezwa na akili bandia (AI)

Updated 4mo ago
by
Brighid McCarthy
The squeaky wheel gets the oil
That which draws our attention, gets more attention. 

A wheel that makes noise is more likely to receive oil than other wheels (that also might need oil). We have limited attention, and thus we give our attention to people, projects and problems that stand out. This proverb asserts that there is not necessarily a correlation between the things we give our attention to and the things that actually need our attention.

Another version of the proverb is "the squeaky wheel gets the grease," and though the origin is unknown, American humorist Josh Billings is commonly attributed through his poem "The Kicker" in 1870
I hate to be a kicker,

I always long for peace,

But the wheel that squeaks the loudest,

Is the one that gets the grease.
 
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Updated 4mo ago
by
Scott M
Kalamu hushinda jambia

Ufafanuzi


Methali hii ya Kiingereza inatafsirika pia kama "Kalamu ina nguvu kuliko upanga au jambia" au " Kalamu ni kali kuliko upanga." Katika methali hii, jambia au upanga unaashiria nguvu na ukatili, na maana ya kalamu ni maneno. Ingawa upanga unaweza kushinda kwa nguvu, kalamu inaweza kuwashawishi, kuwahamasisha, na kuwaelimisha watu. Sio kila mtu ana silaha za kuwalazimisha watu wengine kufanya kile anachotaka, lakini kila mtu ana uwezo wa kubadilisha ulimwengu kupitia kile anachofikiria, kusema na kuandika kwa maneno. 

Silaha za siku hizi ni kalamu na karatasi.
 - Methali ya Kiswahili

Methali hii ni kweli kwa sababu mara nyingi maneno huchochea na kudhibiti jinsi watu wanavyotumia nguvu na silaha zao. Kwa mfano, kupitia sheria, maneno ya viongozi, mahakimu na majaji yana uwezo wa kuwafunga watu gerezani au hata kuwaua. Kutoa hotuba ya moto kwa umati wa watu wenye hasira kunaweza kuleta ghasia kali na madhara mengine (ona Juliasi Kaizari).

"Ukinipa picha, nitakupa vita."
- William Randolph Hearst
(Mwandishi wa habari na mchapishaji wa magazeti, Marekani)

Lakini pia, methali hiyo inatukumbusha nguvu ya upinzani usio na vurugu kwenye kuleta mabadiliko ya kudumu, kanuni iliyotetewa na kuonyeshwa na watu kama Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, na Nelson Mandela.  Angalia pia: Insha ya "Civil Disobedience"  na Henry David Thoreau, pamoja na Tamthilia mashuhuri ya "Antigone" na Sophocles.

Chimbuko


Nukuu hii ya "kalamu ina nguvu kuliko upanga" ilipata umaarufu kupitia tamthilia ya "Richelieu: au The Conspiracy"  na Edward Bulwer-Lytton (mwaka wa 1839, ukurasa wa 47). Lakini hakika wazo lilikuwepo kabla.

Wengine wanasema chimbuko halisi la methali hii ni Hadithi ya Ahikar. Kitabu hiki kiliandikwa takriban miaka 600 kabla ya kristu, na ni chimbuko la methali zingine kama "Ndege mkononi ana thamani ya wawili mtini"). Katika toleo letu, mfasiri hakuweza kusoma maandishi kutokana na hali ya karatasi, na maneno yalikatika. (Ukurasa 171/274) 
Dhibiti kinywa chako kwa uangalifu ...[ILIKATA]... na ufanye moyo wako kuwa mzito(?), kwa maana neno linalosemwa ni kama ndege, naye alitamkaye ni kama mtu asiye na  ...[ILIKATA]... ufundi wa maneno una nguvu zaidi kuliko ufundi wa  ...[ILIKATA]...
- Hadithi ya Ahikar, Ukurasa wa 171/274
Je, hili ndilo chimbuko halisi la methali hii, miaka zaidi ya 2,500 iliyopita? Muwe majaji...

Chanzo karibu na methali hii pia kinaonekana katika Agano la Kale:
Kwa maana neno la Mungu ni hai, tena lina nguvu, tena lina ukali kuliko upanga uwao wote ukatao kuwili.
Waebrania 4:12, Biblia

Na vilevile katika Shakespeare: 
Wengi wanaovaa panga huogopa kalamu.
-William Shakespeare
Tamthilia ya Hamlet, Sehemu ya 2, Onyesho la II (ukurasa wa 59)

 Je, unakubali kalamu hushinda jambia? Toa maoni yako hapo chini!
...

CC BY Unaruhusiwa kunakili & kusambaza mchoro huu na makala hii bila idhini, ukitaja tu chanzo (www.maktaba.org)

Updated 4mo ago
by
Brighid McCarthy