KWEE Liberian Literary Magazine Jan. Iss. Vol. 0115 May Issue Vol. 0515 | Page 46

Liberian Literary Magazine Promoting Liberian literature, Arts and Culture Liberian Proverbs 6. No matter how long a log may float in the water, it will never become a crocodile. What you are, you are; what you are not, you are not. We can’t change the natural order of certain things. They are just the way they are. Excepted from, The Elders’ Wisdom 1. Marriage is like a peanut, you have to crack it to see what is inside. When one decides to get married, one will never know fully what it entails until you are in it. It is a journey that can only happen when you leave for it. It is true we can get glimpses of our partners, but the real thing is only when the marriage ceremony is over. In this case, one has cracked the ground pea and with time, one will know if it was good or not. 7. No matter how low a cotton tree falls, it is still taller than grass. Some things are just way beyond our reach or abilities. The grass at its tallest still falls short of the cotton tree at its lowest point. 8. No matter how tight a monkey's trousers are, he has to leave space for his tail. We carry along with us some ingrain things. They never leave us, in fact, we make a conscious effort to provide for them. The monkey here never covers up or leaves its tails hidden, not even for a tight pant. 2. Marriage is bittersweet. Married people fight and make up just like everyone else. 3. No child laughs at the ugliness of its mother. Just as it is related in another parable, the sentiments hold true. There is no bad bush for a child. The child has none for its parents as well. The child sees its mother in ways that transcends any negativity others may see. 9. No one can uproot the tree, which God has planted. As mentioned before, the concept of God is not limited to one kind. Liberians are religious on many counts. We believe that fate/destiny has a way of taking its proper place at the proper time. For the traditionalists or the Christians/Muslim etc. it is practically the same. 4. No man is an island. We need others in life as much as they need us. We can do many things alone, but in substance, our lives depend on so many others and what they provide to make us live peaceably or happily. 10. No sane person sharpens his machete to cut a banana. The relative softness of the banana makes it seem foolish for one to use a sharpened knife on it. Some tasks are so obvious or have easy solutions that when others try to make them complicated, it gives room to question their sanity. In this case, the one who sharpens the knife is viewed as insane. 5. No matter how cold a monkey gets, he doesn't warm himself in leopard skin. There are some things that do not happen. The monkey in this case has and knows it limits. It will never consider wearing a leopard’s skin as something of a play not even if it is facing a desperate situation. 46