Proverbs shape and reflect economic behavior across diverse territorial and social contexts. Contrasting mountain versus maritime economies and rural versus metropolitan societies reveals that proverbial wisdom adapts to environmental constraints: mountain communities emphasize prudence, cooperation, and long-term stewardship, while maritime cultures value agility, risk-taking, and opportunism. Rural proverbs encode patience, reciprocity, and continuity with natural cycles, whereas urban sayings mirror temporal scarcity, competition, and innovation. The analysis further shows how proverbs reinforce gendered divisions of labor—framing women's work as domestic and undervalued—while also identifying counter-narratives of female agency in some African traditions. By revealing how cultural sayings codify regional economic styles and gender norms, proverbs help illuminate the diversity of economic behavior across contexts, complementing and enriching economic analysis.