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Imbwa inoba mazai / mangwana inodya huku

Shona Definition

Munhu akaita chinhu chakaipa nhasi, mangwana anozoguma apara mhosva huru.

English Translation

Eggs are where the dog starts; fowls are what it takes next. Petty wrongdoing now can end in grave offences later.

Cultural Context

“Invoked to argue that the first signs of bad character should be checked rather than left to grow.”

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This is a variant of

Imbwa inoruma vaenzi / mangwana inoruma vatenzi

The dog that bites visitors today is liable to turn on its own owners tomorrow.