Okhtob le bentak qabl ma tokhtob le ibnak

Translation: Get your daughter engaged before your son.

Meaning: Boys are easier to marry off than girls, so keep an eye out for a potential suitor for your daughter and let the boy worry about himself. This proverb is somewhat dated, although most families in Egypt still think this way.

Source: Egyptian Proverbs, (Al-Ahram Center for Translation and Publishing, 1986) by Ahmed Taymour Pasha

Translated by: Nabil Shawkat