A Collection of Wisdom: Proverbs

Indonesian Proverbs

Nothing is difficult when you get used to it.

Different men have different opinions—some prefer apples, some onions.

A hill is created little by little over a long time.

Most people don’t announce their faults with a gong.

Your mouth, your tiger.

Indonesia is made up of nearly 14,000 islands, many of which contain tropical rain forests and volcanoes, and about half of which are unpopulated. The country has about 300 different ethnic groups and languages, and has recently adopted and promoted an official language called Bahasa Indonesian.

Indonesia has a population of over 200 million people, many of whom derive from people who came from Asia to Indonesia about 3000 years ago. Indonesia has had various cultural ties with China and India throughout its history. The Dutch ruled the country from the 1600s to the 1900s, and it became independent in 1945.

Themes of Indonesia include rice, Islam, multiculturalism, music, dancing, ancient architecture, storytelling, puppet shows, fabric designing, clothing manufacturing, and poverty.