Black cow, white cow

On June 22, the BBC’s Network Africa’s Wise Words came from Ebrima Jallow of The Gambia: “No matter how black the cow is, it will always produce white milk.”

I have been trying to figure out what it means, but keep getting distracted by that quote from Deng Xiaoping, about it not mattering whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.

And: Google didn't help me find the answer. But if you click here you can read more words of wisdom courtesy of the BBC.

And here are some words of wisdom courtesy of my village (all told to me in English, so any errors in translation were not mine):

• "You cannot fatten a ram in a day."
• "The teeth and the tongue are both in the mouth. But even if you bite your tongue, you cannot remove your teeth."
• "If someone scratches your back, you should complement it by rubbing your stomach."
• "You need to be grateful to Allah every time he enables us to meet our objectives."
• "Some people talk about child’s rights. But you have the right not to be flogged only if you behave. If you do not behave, that right is not yours."
• "...when the monkey talks."
• "But there is an advantage to chalk: the calcium carbonate in the chalk dust will make your bones strong."
• "Let me go and laugh a bit. I miss laughing."
• "Don’t cry when you are sick. Think of the solution."
• "Don't mix cous and rice."
• "It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her, but she’s not dead."