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Pale franse pa vle di lespri

Speaking French does not mean intelligence

— Haitian proverb —

class, language, pretension

Polish is not brains. Carries the whole weight of Haiti's language-and-class divide in six words.

Pale franse pa vle di lespri — Speaking French does not mean intelligence
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The proverb belongs to the Haitian people. The translation and the note are our own.

Same themes

Bourik travay, chwal galonnen

The donkey works, the horse shows off its trim

— Haitian proverb —

labour, injustice, class

Ti nèg fè sa l kapab, gwo nèg fè sa l vle

The small man does what he can, the big man does what he wants

— Haitian proverb —

power, class

Konn li pa di lespri pou sa

Knowing how to read does not mean intelligence

— Haitian proverb —

knowledge, pretension

Si bèf te konn fòs yo, majoral pa ta lanse yo

If the oxen knew their own strength, the driver would not drive them

— Haitian proverb —

power, class, solidarity

Chik pa janm respekte pye gwo mouche

A chigoe flea never respects a big man’s foot

— Haitian proverb —

equality, class, vulnerability