Rayi chen, di dan l blan.

The literal English translation would be: "Hate dogs, but say they have white teeth. "

Not all people like dogs. Even though some dogs are not taken care, they find a way to survive. In Haiti, some dogs steal people's food, some are greedy, some others eat people’s other pets. Some Haitians hate them for that. Other people do not have any reason to hate them. They just do not like them.

But, when you look at a dog's teeth, you see they are white whether the dog’s hair is clean or not, or whether the dog smells good or bad.

This proverb teaches us that everyone has something good about them. They have something they are good at, even though they may also be rude, dishonest, poor, unlovable, or not deserving of one's esteem/trust.

Sometimes, people we do not like, people who we believe are hard to live with, people who have done something bad or have disappointed others in their actions/behaviors show their abilities and talents in other ways. If one looks hard enough, maybe he can see something special in them.

Haitians say this proverb to recognize that people are not bad, poor, awkward, rude or evil in all the aspects of life. They say that to celebrate the good actions/abilities/talents demonstrated by that person even though they hate some aspects in his/her life.

We should recognize what deserves to be congratulated even though we do not like the person that has done it or his/her status.