From: Malagasy, East Africa
Source: Malagasy (Ohabolana) proverb. Earlier recorded here as documented in Global Literature in Libraries Initiative's Ohabolana article and on textivors.com; neither, fetched directly, contains it. No alternate primary source has been confirmed; the wording is corroborated only by secondary listicle sites.
The meaning given here is our own reading. Other interpretations exist.