If you don't know who Uncle Tito is or what his "Ancient Hawaiian Sayings" are, please allow me to enlighten you. He's is a super rad, fictional uncle from “Rocket Power," which was, and always will be, one of the greatest, most underrated, kids' show of all time. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Uncle Tito was a minor character, but he brought a lot to the table when one of the other characters needed advice.
Uncle Tito had an "ancient Hawaiian saying" for every scenario. These sayings were pretty much nothing but nonsense to me as a 5-year-old, but now, as a 19-year-old, they're actually super-relatable.
So now, in no particular order, I present to you a compilation of some of the best “Ancient Hawaiian Sayings.” They’re sure to brighten your day despite whether or not you grew up wishing you had an uncle as cool as Tito.
1. “No common brudda ever knows the pain of the flower as it grows.”
2. “The Hawaiian ancients had an expression for someone who competes against his best friend and business partner: real bonehead.”
3. “Sometimes, the bird sings … sometimes it coughs up a worm.”
4. “Never provoke the wrath of a 10-year-old.”
5. “The coconut is always sweeter on the palm tree you can’t reach.”
6. “The most important races are won in the ocean of the soul.”
7. “If you’re walking on a beach, and you step on a crab, even if you didn’t mean to, you should go back and apologize. After all, that crab could be in your soup later on.”
8. “The bird that flies alone is the goose that gets cooked.”
9. “Blood is thicker than water, but not as refreshing.”
10. “He who carves himself in stone has rocks in his head.”
11. “The seagull that flies a crooked path has a tough time returning home.”
12. “You can’t compare pineapples and coconuts.”
13. “The sands of the beach must change with each new wind.”
14. “Man who’s always watching for fallen coconut ends up stubbing toe.”
15. “Once a pineapple is ripe, it’s very hard to make it a seed again.”
16. “He who rubs his enemy’s face in the sand, gets buried in the sand with him.”
17. “Every wave has to come to the shore at some point.”
18. “Some coconuts have thicker shells than others.”
19. “You can paint the coconut shell, but you can’t change the milk inside.”
20. “Just ‘cause you’re riding the high tide, doesn’t mean you’ve chosen the right course.”
21. “Inside every rotten pineapple there may be a pearl.”
22. “Sometimes the tastiest coconut is found on the shortest tree.”
23. “A wise man cherishes today because tomorrow he could meet the fiery end at the bottom of a volcano.”
24. “He who is on the canoe is responsible for the journey, whether he has a paddle or not.”
25. “The village of a chief who won’t forget the past, may as well forget about the future.”
26. “When the sea turtle retreats into its hardened shell, just give him time — he’ll show up, especially when there’s teriyaki barbecue chicken.”
27. “The pelican can fly as high as the stars, if she believes she can.”
