You need to login to view profiles OR to update your profile

Create a new account

Sign up for news and free books by email!
New announcements
Discussions
Proverbs

Pride goes before a fall

Join
or login
to VOTE for Proverb of the Month
Votes
0
Updated 4mo ago
by
View this proverb in Swahili
Kiburi hutangulia anguko
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.

Just before the Titanic's maiden voyage the company's leader, Phillip Franklin, wrote:
There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable...
Because of the company's excessive confidence, the Titanic did not carry enough lifeboats for all the passengers. The Titanic sank in 1912, killing over 1500 people.

In literature, many tragic heroes are brought down by pride. For example, in Shakespeare's King Lear, the king's pride makes him vulnerable to flattery, and his poor judgement costs him everything he has. Julius Caesar's pride made him insist on going to the Senate on the Ides of March, ignoring many warnings that he would be murdered. Similarly, Oedipus is too proud to listen when others warn him not to seek to know the truth about his parents.

Today's proverb comes from the book of Proverbs in the Bible
Pride goeth before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18, King James Version (1611)

The Quran also contains numerous warnings against pride, like:
ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ مُخْتَالًا فَخُورًا 
God does not like arrogant, boastful people
Surah An-Nisa - 36

Here are a few other proverbs that relate to the same principle:
French:
Qui fait le malin tombe dans le ravin
He who gets cute falls into the ravine
Russian:
Сатана гордился, с неба свалился; фараон гордился, в море утопился; а мы гордимся - куда годимся?
Satan was proud and fell from heaven; the pharaoh was proud and sank in the sea; and when we are proud, what are we worth?
English:
The bigger they come, the harder they fall.
Details Image from the painting by Caspar David Friedrich, 1817, "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog / Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer"
Sources
Quran (Surat An-Nisa 36)
English and Russian proverbs (Wiktionary)
French Proverb (Wiktionary)
Titanic: (BBC)

Related Books on Maktaba.org:
Don't Fly Too Close to the Sun
King Lear by William Shakespeare
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Oedipus by Sophocles
Holy Bible, King James Version
Loading...
Loading...
Login to view and post comments
na Rose Mwanri 🇹🇿 
🏆 Shindano la Insha ya Methali 
🥈 Mshindi wa Pili 

Akiba Haiozi

Methali ni usemi wa kimafumbo unaotumika katika jamii. Maneno katika methali huwa na maana ya ziada na methali huwa na pande mbili. Upande wa kwanza hutoa wazo na upande wa pili humalizia wazo. Akiba haiozi ni miongoni mwa methali za kiswahili inayotumika sana katika jamii za kiafrika na kwa watumiaji wa lugha ya kiswahili duniani, ikiwa na lengo la kuwaasa watu juu ya umuhimu wa kujiwekea akiba.

 Dhima ya methali hii ni kutusisitiza sisi wanajamii kujianda vema na maisha ya leo pamoja na kesho huku tukiwa tayari kuzikabili changamoto mbalimbali za maisha.

 Methali hii hutuonyesha ni kawaida mwanadamu kupatwa na dharura mbalimbali katika maisha ya kila siku. Mfano kupatwa na maradhi, ajali, au hata kifo. Pale unapokuwa na akiba uliyojiwekea itakusaidia wakati umepatwa na changamoto ya ghafla ambayo hukuitarajia.

 Faida nyingine ya kuweka akiba ni kuboresha maisha. Cha kwanza nashauri tuwe na utaratibu wa kuweka akiba mara kwa mara ili kuweza kuboresha maisha yetu kwa ujumla. Tunavyozidi kuweka akiba ndivyo ambavyo akiba hiyo inaweza kutusaidia kuboresha makazi yetu na miundombinu kwa ujumla ndani ya jamii zetu. Mfano mzuri ni wazazi ambao akiba wanazoziweka huwasaidia kulipa karo za shule pamoja na kununua vifa mbalimbali vya shulena hata gharama zingine zinazojitokeza kwa wakati huo.

 Methali hii pia inatukumbusha kuwa kadri tunavyozidi kuweka akiba ndivyo tunavyokuza hazina yetu. Swa na ile methali inayosema “ Haba na haba hujaza kibaba” ukichambua methali hizi zinaendana maana na utagundua ni ukumbusho mkubwa kwetu kuhusu ujenzi wa hatma njema ya jamii yetu ya sasa na baadae. Kwa kuwa zinatuhimiza kuwekeza kwa kila chumo tulipatalo. Tunakuza hazina kwa kuwa kile tunachoweka akiba kipo kwaajili yetu.

 Chukua nafasi kujiuliza, ni mara ngapi umepatwa na changamoto na akiba ndiyo ikaokoa jahazi, ni mambo mangapi yametokea bila taarifa na akiba ndiyo imetumika kuweka mambo sawa. Naamini sote tunapaswa kuweka akiba bila kujali kipato ni kikubwa au kidogo. Mfano unaweza kuanza kuweka akiba kidogo kidogo kutokana na kile unachokipata na kufikia muda Fulani utakuwa na akiba kubwa.

 Vilevile methali hii inasaidia kukuza maarifa kwa mtu mmoja mmoja na jamii hasa pale ambapo pamekuwepo na tofauti ya uhifadhi wa akiba kutoka kizazi kimoja kwenda kingine. Hapo zamani tunaambiwa watu walikuwa wanahifadhi akiba zao kwa kuchimba chini ya ardhi, kuweka chini ya kitanda au hata sehemu zingine ambazo wao waliamini ni salama. Leo hii watu hawatumii sana njia za kienyeji kuweka akiba zao. Ukija kwenye fedha zipo benki zenye mifumo thabiti na salama katika kuhifadhi fedha. Kwa upande wa akiba ya mazao pia zipo njia salama za kuhifadhi tena hata kwa muda mrefu bila kuharibika. Kwa hakika akiba haiozi.

 Waswahili tunasema “akiba haiozi”, “haba na haba hujaza kibaba” ikimaanisha kwamba akiba yaweza kuonekana ndogo ila kadri inavyoongezeka ndivyo inavyokuwa kubwa. Kinyume chake tunaambiwa “Chovya chovya humaliza buyu la asali”, “Bandu bandu humaliza gogo”. Tukikumbushwa kuwa vile tunavyochukua akiba zetu kidogo kidogo bila sababu ya msingi ndivyo ambavyo iko siku tutahamaki na kuona akiba imeisha bila kuona kitu cha maana kilichofanyika. Tukumbuke “mali bila daftari huisha bila habari”, tuangalie mfano wa shairi hili linalotusisitiza kuhusu kuweka akiba.

Akiba kweli hazina, haijawahi saliti,
Kwetu ni muhimu sana, hutubeba kwa nyakati,
Kipindi kweli hatuna, inasimama kwa dhati,
Sote tuweke akiba, akiba ni mkombozi.

 Kwa hakika ni dhahiri yatupasa kutunza vitu vyetu vizuri na rasilimali tulizonazo kwa kuweka akiba ili tuweze kujinusuru pale ambapo tunapokumbwa na changamoto za kushtukiza kwa ajili ya maisha yetu ya sasa na ya baadae.

...
Huwa tunatendewa kama tunavyowatendea wengine. Kwa kawaida methali hii hutumika kama onyo, au wakati mtu mbaya anapata alichostahili. Lakini pia inaweza kutumika kama tumaini la baraka kwa wale wanaofanya mema. Chimbuko halisi cha methali hiyo haijulikani, lakini ilianza Amerika miaka za 60 hivi. Inaendana na kanuni la Karma katika dini ya Kihindi.

Methali na nukuu zinazohusiana:
Shakespeare
Bado tunayo hukumu hapa (duniani);
Tunafundisha tu umwagaji damu, ambayo, ukifundishwa, hurudi
ili lipiza kisasi na kumtesa mvumbuzi: mkono wa haki
huweka viungo vya kikombe chetu cha sumu
Kwa midomo yetu wenyewe.  ( Makbeth Act I, Scene 7 )
Biblia:
Chochote apandacho mtu, ndicho atakachovuna ( Wagalatia 6:7 )
Kichina: 
善有善報,惡有惡報
Wema hulipwa kwa wema, na ubaya kwa ubaya. 
Kijerumani:
Wie man in den Wald hineinruft, so schallt es heraus
Unacholia msituni, kitasikika tena
...
Updated 4mo ago
by
Maana yake, afadhali kuridhika na ulicho nacho, badala ya kuiweka hatarini kwa ajili ya kupata kitu kubwa zaidi.

 Methali hii ni ya zamani sana. Chanzo cha methali hii ni kitabu cha kale kiitwacho  "Hadithi ya Ahikar." (Kinajulikana pia kama "Methali za Ahiqar.")
Mwanangu, mguu wa kondoo katika mkono wako mwenyewe ni bora kuliko bega zima katika mkono wa mwengine; Afadhali kondoo mdogo aliye karibu na wee kuliko ng'ombe aliye mbali; Afadhali shomoro aliyeshikwa mkononi kuliko ndege elfu warukao angani; vazi ulilo nalo ni afadhali kuliko vazi la zambarau usiloliona.
- Hadithi ya Ahikar (ukurasa wa 110)
Kitabu hiki kinasimulia hadithi ya mshauri wa wafalme wa kale wa Ashuru na Misri. Inadhaniwa kuwa hadithi hii ilitungwa takribani 600 KK, na kuna nakala iliyochapishwa mwaka wa 500 KK. 

Methali karibu na hii kutoka nchi mbalimbali:
French:
Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras
'Shika-hii-hapa" moja ina thamana kuliko 'nitakuletea-baadaye' mbili
Japanese
明日の百より今日の五十
Hamsini leo ni bora kuliko mia kesho
Italian
Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani
Bora yai leo kuliko kuku kesho

Mnaonaje -- methali hii ni ushauri mzuri? Ni bora kuridhika na kitu kinachopatikana kwa hakika, ama kutafuta kitu bora zaidi kisicho na hakika?
...
Updated 4mo ago
by
Large tasks in life need to tackled in small steps, day by day. This proverb comes from Swahili:
Haba na haba hujaza kibaba
Little by little fills up the jar

Can you think of other similar proverbs that encourage the same way of thinking? 

This saying reminds be of a poem called "Little Things" by Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney:
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.
     
Thus the little minutes,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity. 
Julia Carney composed this poem in 1845 as a student in class -- and she was given only 10 minutes to write it!
...
Updated 4mo ago
by