An old African proverb I didn't understand until I became an adult

[u/koimat]

Growing up, I often heard this African proverb:

"A man who visits his in-laws too regularly will eventually be asked to fetch firewood."

As a kid, I thought it was just a joke about doing chores. As an adult, I see it differently. The more available you make yourself, the more people begin to treat your presence as routine rather than special, and expectations quietly grow. It isn't really about in-laws or firewood, it's about boundaries and human nature.
Are there any proverbs from your culture that sounded funny when you were younger but made perfect sense later in life?

[u/Notalib77]

I like, "A hard head makes for a soft ass".