Languagle #48: Ukrainian
Мудрим ніхто не вродився, а навчився
Mudrym nikhto ne vrodyvsia, a navchyvsia
"Nobody was born wise. They learned it."
What it means
Wisdom is not something anyone is born with; it has to be learned. A saying encouraging people to keep learning and not to feel ashamed of not yet knowing.
What kind of saying it is
Oral tradition. In Ukrainian, a прислів'я. Passed down by word of mouth. Sayings like this have no single author.
About the Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is an East Slavic language spoken by around 35 million people as a first language, mainly in Ukraine. It is related to Russian and Belarusian but has a distinct vocabulary and sound, and is often said to be closer to Polish and Belarusian in its words. It is written in Cyrillic, with letters Russian does not use, such as і, ї, є and ґ.