Literature, whether handed down by word or mouth or in print, gives us a second handle on reality.
CHINUA ACHEBEPeople say that if you find water rising up to your ankle, that’s the time to do something about it, not when it’s around your neck.
More Chinua Achebe Quotes
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Only the story can continue beyond the war and the warrior. The story outlives the sound of the war drum… The story is our escort. Without it we are blind… It is the thing that sets us apart from cattle.
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Nobody can teach me who I am. You can describe parts of me, but who I am – and what I need – is something I have to find out myself.
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When old people speak it is not because of the sweetness of words in our mouths; it is because we see something which you do not see.
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A man of worth never gets up to unsay what he said yesterday.
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I think not just Nigeria but I think the whole of Africa has to turn back to the rural areas and that’s where the majority of the citizens are and that’s where the engine of of development has to be found.
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There is no story that is not true.
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Wisdom is like a goatskin bag; every man carries his own.
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There is that great proverb – that until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.
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Whenever you see a toad jumping in broad daylight, then know that something is after its life.
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A man who makes trouble for others is also making trouble for himself.
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When a coward sees a man he can beat he becomes hungry for a fight.
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When a mad man walks naked, it is his kinsmen who feel shame, not himself.
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Nigeria is what it is because its leaders are not what they should be.
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When a man is at peace with his gods and ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm.
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When we are comfortable and inattentive, we run the risk of committing grave injustices absentmindedly.
CHINUA ACHEBE