Sayings from Afghanistan
Forget the past , but look out in the future.
One who calls himself khan is not a khan.
Blood cannot be washed out with blood.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
As the sun’s shadow shifts, so there is no permanence on earth.
One who runs will also fall.
Everyone’s own country is Kashmir to him.
The best weapon is the one that’s to hand.
In youth you’re lustful.
The first day you meet, you are friends. The next day you meet, you are brothers.
Two are better than one , and three than two.
He who can be killed by sugar should not be killed by poison.
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Afghanistan is a landlocked country located within South Asia and Central Asia. It has a population of approximately 32 million, making it the 42nd most populous country in the world. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east; Iran in the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north; and China in the far northeast. Its territory covers 652,000 km2 (252,000 sq mi), making it the 41st largest country in the world.
Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan as well as its largest city, located in the eastern section of the country.
Pashto and Dari are the official languages of Afghanistan; bilingualism is very common. Both are Indo-European languages from the Iranian languages sub-family. (An excerpt from Wikipedia)
More Afghan Proverbs & Saying:
Where there is discipline there is social order.
The world is the traveler’s inn.
Don’t be a thief and you won’t fear the king.
As long as there are fools in the world no one will be penniless.
To speak ill of anyone is to speak ill of yourself.
If you want to keep camels, have a big enough door.
When man is perplexed god is beneficent.
A fox is in trouble because of his pelt.
A palm tree growing in the shade will not bear ripe fruit.
What my heart desired didn’t happen.
Heaven is dark and yet out of it streams clear water.
Poor iron won’t make sharp sword.
Glory is fitting to god alone.
Tow watermelons can’t be held in one hand.
The rose is a friend of the thorn.
Without a green switch the cow and donkey won’t obey.
There is a way from heart to heart.
On earth it’s hard and heaven is far away.
Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet.
A tree does not move unless there is wind.
Debt severs love.
He who goes to the blacksmith’s shop comes home with scorched clothes.
Community is not created by force.
Every man thinks his own thoughts are best.
God has said start moving so that I may start blessing.
When the tiger kills, the jackal profits.
Unless god does it. What can doctor do?
Even if a knife is made of silver, a person won’t stab his own heart with it.
Don’t take off your shoes before seeing the water.
There is blessing in action.
A donkey has two friends: his two hind legs.
No one says his own buttermilk is sour.
You can’t flee your lot nor share it with another.
Between brother and brother accounts should be square.
Cats don’t catch mice to please God.
Having been bitten by a snake, he’s afraid of a rope.
What you see in yourself is what you see in the world.
An old friend is like a saddled horse.
If you don’t recognize god at least know him by his power.
A good year is determined by its spring.
A warm fire is better than delicious cooked rice.
A lion at home , and a fox abroad.
Five fingers are brothers but not equals.
Give graciously — even an onion.
A liar is forgetful.
Don’t dig wells for others for you will fall into one yourself.
The potter drink water from a broken jug.
a wise enemy is better than a foolish friend.
The seeker is the finder.
When god gives, he doesn’t ask whose son a person is.
What comes out of a trumpet except breath?
Flourish like a flower, but may your life be longer .
That which thunders does not rain.
What god wanted was really done.
There are twenty-five uncaught sparrows for a penny.
Smart people get the point from a single hint.
Where your heart goes there your feet will go.
Be patient with your enemies and forgiving of your friends.
The world lives in hope.
In childhood you’re playful.
There is a path to the top of highest mountain.
Even the largest army is nothing without a good general.
Whatever you sow you reap.
He ran out from under the leaking roof and set in the rain.
Fear the person who doesn’t fear god.
Too many butchers ruined the cow.
Every anguish passes except the anguish of hunger.
A lame crab walks straight.
Good perfume is known by its own scent rather than by the perfumer’s advertisement.
Under his bowl there is a little bowl.
A broken hand can work but a broken heart can’t.
Him in trouble, thus becoming his own worst enemy.
Stretch your feet to the length of your blanket.
No rose is without thorns.
Hearing is never as good as seeing.
A tilted load won’t reach its destination.
Don’t show me the palm tree, show me the dates.
Don’t use your teeth when you can un-tie the knot with your fingers.
One flower doesn’t bring spring.
The wood is burnt, but the ashes are a nuisance.
In old age you’re feeble.
He has soaked a hundred heads, but hasn’t shaved one.
Don’t sprinkle salt on my wound.
Saying “salaam” { peace be with you} is a sign of true faith.
Man sins… then blames it on the devil.
Salt preserves meat, but what can be done with salt if it is bad.
Where the heart would go, there follows the foot.
Appreciate great things.
Wealth belongs to the person who enjoys it and not to the one who keeps it.
Every tree feels the force of the wind.
The right answer to a fool is silence.
He appreciates prosperity who is caught in calamity.
Two watermelons can’t be held in one hand.
The deaf laugh twice.
Though God is almighty, he doesn’t send rain from a clear sky.
But a wounded spirit cannot be overcome.
What is a trumpeters job? To blow.
They ask the fox , who is your witness?
A river is made drop by drop.
A new servant can catch a running deer.
Abad wound heals, but a bad word doesn’t .
He is riding donkey, but has lost the donkey.
Ask the truth from a child.
Some men wonder over God’s values, others over the cut of a garment.
It is easier to wage war with wise enemies than be at peace with foolish friends.
Vinegar that is free, is sweeter than honey.
A river is not contaminated by having a dog drink from it.
In a ditch where water has flowed, it will flow again.
One gives by tons, but takes accounts by ounces.
It’s the same donkey, but with a new saddle.
If a forest catches fire, both the dry and the wet will burn up.
If you sit beside a cooking pot ;you will get black .
In bad things be slow; in good things be quick.
In an ant colony dew is a flood.
The mud of one country is the medicine of another.
First food, then religion.
I’m talking to the door, but I want the walls to hear me.
The tree will not sway without a trace of wind.
If there is only bread and onion, still have a happy face.
He who is cornered will fight.
Try out your shoes on your feet — gauge people against their misfortune.
Full up to your throat.
My drum doesn’t say what I say .
Don’t stop a donkey that is not yours.
A cheep thing doesn’t lack defect, an expensive thing quality.
I ‘have never seen anyone go astray who followed along right path.
You can’t slap with one hand.
When the wine is free even the judge drinks it.
Little talk, more action.
A real friend is one who takes the hand of his friend in times of distress and helplessness.
Hasty work doesn’t succeed.