Lozi

A bridge does not lead anywhere on its own; it exists purely to let others cross safely to where they are going. This proverb pictures leadership the same way: not a destination or a title, but a structure built to carry other people across.

An elephant surrounded by thornbush can be protected by that same thicket or torn up by it, depending on how it moves. This proverb applies that same double edge to a king among his people: his power depends entirely on the very subjects who could just as easily turn on him, so authority here is framed as mutual and fragile, not simply handed down from above.

Being useful and being valued aren't the same thing, and this proverb draws that line sharply: people are quick to call on you for effort and just as quick to leave you out once there's something good to share. It's a complaint about being treated as labor rather than as a person owed a seat at the table.