African Proverbs about marriage and married life give insight as to how people really feel about marriage. Some of these proverbs are tongue in cheek while others are very serious and poignant.



It is the habit that a child forms at home, that follows them to their marriage. ~Nigerian Proverb

One who marries for love alone will have bad days but good nights. ~Egyptian Proverb

He who sacks his wife because she eats a lot will end up marrying a cannibal. ~African Proverb

If you marry a monkey for his wealth, the money goes and the monkey remains as is. ~Egyptian Proverb

Having beauty doesn't mean understanding the perseverance of marriage. ~African Proverb

If you do not travel, you will marry your own sister. ~Mozambican Proverb

An upstart is a sparrow eager to marry a hornbill. ~Malawian Proverb

If a young woman says no to marriage just wait until her breasts sag. ~Burundian Proverb

A thousand assignations, one marriage. ~Somali Proverb

A man that does not lie shall never marry. ~Zimbabwean Proverb

Love is like a baby: it needs to be treated tenderly. ~Congolese Proverb

It is Mr. Old-Man-Monkey who marries Mrs. Old-Woman-Monkey. ~Ashanti Proverb

One who plants grapes by the road side, and one who marries a pretty woman, share the same problem. ~Ethiopian Proverb

He is a fool who marries an old woman without teeth. ~Somali Proverb

Marriage is like a groundnut: you have to crack them to see what is inside. ~Akan Proverb

The buttocks are like a married couple though there is constant friction between them; they will still love and live together. ~African Proverb

If there were no cold Friday evenings and boring Saturdays, no one would get married any more. ~Moroccan Proverb

No married woman will have her white hair shaved at her mother's. ~Kikuyu Proverb

How gently glides the married life away, When she who rules still seems but to obey. ~Kenyan Proverb

He who marries a beauty marries trouble. ~Nigerian Proverb

To love someone who does not love you, is like shaking a tree to make the dew drops fall. ~Congolese Proverb

Never marry a woman who has bigger feet than you. ~Mozambican Proverb

The man who marries my mother, I call him uncle. ~Egyptian Proverb

A woman who has not been twice married cannot know what a perfect marriage is. ~Nigerian Proverb

A happy man marries the girl he loves, but a happier man loves the girl he marries. ~African Proverb

It is better to be loved than feared. ~Sierra Leonean Proverb

A good wife is easy to find, but suitable in-laws are rare. ~Madagascan Proverb

A man changing his abode is like a woman marrying. ~Kikuyu Proverb

It is better to be married to an old lady than to remain unmarried. ~Ugandan Proverb

A man who marries an outcast is like rain wasted in the forest. ~African Proverb

A woman who is not successful in her own marriage has no advice to give to her younger generations. ~Nigerian Proverb

A married couple is neither enemies nor friends. ~Somali Proverb

Let your love be like the misty rain, coming softly, but flooding the river. ~Liberian & Madagascan Proverb

If money where to be found up in the trees, most people would be married to monkeys. ~African Proverb

Love is blind. ~Mende Proverb

The man may be the head of the home but the wife is the heart. ~Gikuyu Proverb

If there is cause to hate someone, the cause to love has just begun. ~Wolof Proverb

The man that won't marry a woman with other admirers won't marry a woman at all. ~Nigerian Proverb

The robin and the wren are God's cock and hen; the martin and the swallow are God's mate and marrow. ~Tanzanian Proverb

He was entrapped by the evening, it has cost him his marriage. ~Bantu Proverb

Talking with one another is loving one another. ~Kenyan Proverb

One who loves you, warns you. ~Baganda Proverb

Leave her now and then if you would really love your wife. ~Malawian Proverb

The most dangerous thing a man needs is a woman. ~Somali Proverb

Now the marriage begins," says the woman who has been beaten with thorns. ~Nigerian Proverb

The woman who does not covet the possessions of her husband is in love with another man. ~Egyptian Proverb

When one is in love, a cliff becomes a meadow. ~Ethiopian Proverb

He who longs too much for a child will marry a pregnant woman. ~Bambara Proverb

Marriage is not a tight knot, but a slip knot. ~Malagasy Proverb

Marriage is a snake to slip into your handbag. ~African Proverb


African Proverbs for Weddings, Marriage and Love
This eBook contains many African proverbs on love and marriage. Some proverbs are very sweet and romantic while others are tongue in cheek and almost making fun of love and romance.