The Bagobo proverbs are primarily prosaic statements that reflect the common experiences of the Tagabawa people. These experiences are connected to various aspects of life, such as physical, emotional, spiritual, moral, social, economic, and political factors. Metaphors are a prominent feature in Bagobo proverbs, with the image of a tall tree serving as a powerful example. The tall tree symbolizes a man prone to excessive pride, serving as a warning about the dangers of hubris and highlighting the importance of humility and groundedness. This idea is clearly reflected in the proverb, "Ating ka saken menek madabu ka, madigarpa diyan ka tana dad mamudot nkatu mga idabo, madigar pa menek." (Climbing a tree to reap what you sow could cause you to fall. It is better to pick up the fruits off the ground.) This proverb teaches that attempting to achieve something through risky or prideful means could lead to failure, while patience and humility yield better results.

The Bagobo people believe that every action has consequences, and they emphasize that no one can escape the repercussions of bad choices, even if it appears they have not been caught. Christian influence is also evident in their proverbs, as they reflect values aligned with biblical teachings. Honesty is another key value emphasized in the proverbs, as it is seen as a way to avoid trouble and maintain harmony in the community. This focus on honesty is supported by the Datu and other leaders of society, who aim to instill this virtue in younger generations and influence other cultural communities, even those in remote areas. Through their proverbs, the Bagobo promote the importance of education as a means to shape individuals into instruments of peace, love, and prosperity.

Bagobo riddles were in couplet form, which proves that they have a poetic temperament, and they love to play words for amusement. The riddles were a form of free verse and there were one, two, three, or four lines to a stanza. Bagobo Tagabawa riddles had similar sounds at the end of the line. The riddles were also in alliteration, metaphor, simile, and personification, and some were composed in two rhyming lines. Mostly, the Bagobo Tagabawa riddles were a type of prose that refers to a verbal game or a contest of wits. The poetic vision of the riddles revealed so much about the cultural life of the Bagobo people, their flora, their dwelling equipment, their climate, fauna, clothing, and shelter. Their curiosity about their human biology was revealed in riddles about the different parts of the body. Also, these riddles are both prosaically stated or sung in verse form.

The didactic riddles which explain birth, growth, death, and natural phenomena also function as an educating agent. The riddles are compact, containing descriptions of the flora of the area and the material objects in the culture of the people. Through riddles and riddling, the children may become aware of their cultural traits. Together with the rich and colorful idiom of their language, the children may know the various aspects of their people’s material and spiritual world through the poetic vision of the riddles.