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All proverbs

Tann jis nou tounen pwa tann

Wait until we turn into tender beans

— Haitian proverb —

waiting, futility

Waiting stretched past all reason. The pun on tann — to wait, and tender — is the whole joke.

The proverb belongs to the Haitian people. The translation and the note are our own.

Same themes

Fòse moun fè sa yo pa vle fè, se tankou eseye plen lanmè ak wòch

Forcing people to do what they do not want is like trying to fill the sea with stones

— Haitian proverb —

coercion, futility

one source
Se lave men, siye l atè

It is washing your hands and wiping them on the ground

— Haitian proverb —

futility, waste

one source
Di djab bonjou l ap manje w, pa di l bonjou l ap manje w

Greet the devil and he eats you; do not greet him and he eats you

— Haitian proverb —

dilemma, futility

one source