“Patient man rides donkey.”

Subject’s Analysis:

My grandmother a Jamaican native learned this proverb from her mother during childhood.  She said that it is native to Jamaica. She said that it means because donkeys walk very slowly, only patient people ride them. She added that it is a metaphor for the fact that “patient people will eventually come into victory”.

Collector’s Analysis:

I agree with my grandmother’s analysis of this saying. I think that she has it down. Donkeys are well known to be stubborn and slow means of conveyance. Some would even say that it takes the patience of a saint to deal with them. So the proverb is easily understood. I think that this Jamaican proverb uses the donkey, because of the fact that donkeys are prevalent work animals in the Jamaican countryside, to this day. I have childhood memories of our neighbor across the street owning a donkey, and using him to haul food such as sugar cane from place to place. The last part of my grandmother’s analysis I think is a hidden meaning of the phrase. Her saying “patient people will eventually come into victory” is a proverb that also emphasizes patience. It could be related to the phrase “slow and steady wins the race”.