Some favorite sayings that I have learned here:
 
“Manja simfumba”
Origin: Chisena
Translates to: “The hand is not a straw mat”
Means: Chisena culture, like many local cultures, use straw mats for sleeping.  Hands are not meant for sleeping; rather, they are meant for doing.  This is a call for action.
 
“Ndhede guro aribate ndawe yokuoma”
Origin: Ndau
Translates to: “The old monkey doesn’t grab dry branches”
Means: Dry branches break and would cause a monkey to fall as he is swinging.  An old and experienced monkey knows to avoid grabbing dry branches.  This is similar in English to “knowing the ropes,” and is said when one understands how something works through experience.
 
“Quem come amenduim esquece, mas quem deita fora as cascas se lembra”
Origin: I quote this in Portuguese, but there is a similar saying in many local languages (though sometimes instead of peanuts, it is said about bananas)
Translates to: “He who eats peanuts forgets having eaten them, but he who leaves their shells is remembered”
Means: A person committing an injustice often forgets having done anything.  However, he is remembered by the people who are faced with the injustice.
 
“Utumbi uri pamimba”
Origin: Chisena
Translates to: “Happiness lives in the belly”
Means: A satiated person is happy.  A corollary to this that was explained to me: Never marry a picky eater.