An ugly jar full of water is worth more than an empty beautiful one in the desert.
~ Matshona Dhliwayo
Because the moon is not jealous of the sun, it benefits from its light.
It is in the shade that you look up at a tree and appreciate its efforts.
The early bird gets the first worm, but the wisest bird gets the fattest one.
We all come into the world rocks, but the enlightened leave it diamonds.
If you serve two masters, either of them may punish you for serving the other.
A tree is naked, no matter how big, if it does not have leaves.
Ignorance shuts the mind’s door tight, wisdom swings it wide open.
One who never reads only goes where his feet can take him, but one who does, travels around the world.
You cannot tell a river in which direction it should flow, but you can steer your boat.
A bee, though small, can still sting you; an elephant, though calm, can still trample you; a lion, though full, can still devour you.
Pleasure is a kind servant, but a cruel master.
Light is a beautiful servant, darkness is a dangerous master.
Intelligence opens the door to the universe, but only wisdom walks through.
Sages see further with their eyes closed than scholars with their eyes open.
It is never a river’s fault that one cannot swim.
If the sun shone for itself, it would be blinded by its own light; if a river flowed for itself, it would be drowned by its own weight.
The mind speaks, though it does not have lips.The heart moves, though it does not have feet.The soul rises, though it does not have wings.
The mind is a temple of knowledge, the heart is a temple of understanding, and the soul is a temple of wisdom; together they are a temple of enlightenment.
It is impossible for light to bow before darkness.
It is the roof that fights the rain, but the builder who gets all the glory.
An ugly candle that lights up a home is better than a beautiful lamp that merely decorates a room.
A bird cannot fly upward if each wing is flapping in a different direction.
Daisies that bring you joy are better than roses that bring you sorrow.
If a bird does not bring out all of the songs on its heart, all its symphonies die inside.
Light travels halfway around the world while darkness is still putting its shoes on.
Light travels half away around the world while darkness is still putting its shoes on.
When birds eat from your hand, they are letting the whole world know that they trust you.
You can curse the sun a thousand times, but cannot keep it from shining, even for a day.
You cannot drown a fish in the ocean, no matter how deep you sink it.
The spoon’s color does not change the soup’s taste.
The sky won’t shed tears if stars refuse to shine, it will wait for the sun.
It is in vain to stone the sky, no matter how big the rock is.
Noble leaders choose: wisdom over wealth, knowledge over fame, understanding over honor, virtue over titles, and people over power.
The mind speaks, thought it does not have lips. The heart moves, though it does not have feet. The soul rises, though it does not have wings.
If a tree bears sweet fruit, birds have many reasons to visit it.
If the sun needed friends to shine, it would not rule the sky alone.
Water has no mouth, but swallows many. Light has no hands, but touches many. Wind has no feet, but carries many. Darkness has no teeth, but devours many.
It is not the size of the candle that matters, but the size of its light.
When you have nothing, be hopeful; when you have little, be grateful; when you have much, be sensible; when you have everything, be humble.
