Moroccan proverbs that also exist in Spanish

Segarro proverbs that also exist in Spanish

Some proverbs cross borders without a passport. Segarro folk wisdom, in its most common sayings, shows a striking parallel with Spanish. The one who rushes, dies is the exact equivalent of the Spanish vísteme despacio que tengo prisa (dress me slowly, I'm in a hurry). And the sixth one, about the stone that falls and never returns, has its twin in the Spanish proverb collection, recorded in the Refranero Multilingüe of the Centro Virtual Cervantes.

The sixth one, the most debated

The proverb الكلمة بحجر، إلا طاحت ما ترجع (a word is like a stone, once it falls it does not come back) has generated conflicting interpretations. Some read it as a warning about the weight of one's word: once you let it go, it no longer belongs to you. Spanish has an almost identical version: Palabra y piedra suelta no tienen vuelta (a word released and a loose stone cannot be brought back), with variants such as Palabra de boca, piedra de honda. The metaphor is the same: the stone that flies off and never returns.

A culture of forgiveness?

Some analyses argue that the absence of a direct Spanish equivalent to this proverb would reveal a deeper culture of forgiveness in Spain. But that reading falls apart when you notice that the Spanish proverb tradition does contain the idea, even if it has fallen out of use today. The difference lies not in the culture but in the contemporary use of the language. Folk wisdom, on both sides of the strait, agrees that words carry weight and consequences.

Is the culture of forgiveness really that different? The question remains open, but folk wisdom on both sides seems to share the same skepticism about a word once given.