We cannot trample upon the humanity of others without devaluing our own. The Igbo, always practical, put it concretely in their proverb Onye ji onye n'ani ji onwe ya: 'He who will hold another down in the mud must stay in the mud to keep him down.' Chinua Achebe More Quotes by Chinua Achebe More Quotes From Chinua Achebe A functioning, robust democracy requires a healthy educated, participatory followership, and an educated, morally grounded leadership. Chinua Achebe democracy healthy leadership A goat does not eat into a hen's stomach no matter how friendly the two may be. Chinua Achebe doe friendly two The impatient idealist says: 'Give me a place to stand and I shall move the earth.' But such a place does not exist. We all have to stand on the earth itself and go with her at her pace. Chinua Achebe black-history giving moving A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness Chinua Achebe greatness pay men We cannot trample upon the humanity of others without devaluing our own. Chinua Achebe humanity Do not be in a hurry to rush into the pleasures of the world like the young antelope who danced herself lame when the main dance was yet to come. Chinua Achebe lame pleasure world The sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them. Chinua Achebe shine-on shining sun People go to Africa and confirm what they already have in their heads and so they fail to see what is there in front of them. This is what people have come to expect. Its not viewed as a serious continent. Its a place of strange, bizarre and illogical things, where people dont do what common sense demands. Chinua Achebe common-sense demand people I believe in the complexity of the human story, and that there's no way you can tell that story in one way and say, 'this is it.' Always there will be someone who can tell it differently depending on where they are standing ... this is the way I think the world's stories should be told: from many different perspectives. Chinua Achebe perspective believe thinking Now one of the changes that must come to Africa is the idea of limited rule, I mean in term of how long one leader can stay in power. The era of president for life is not gone yet but it is on its way out and that is one of the problems with Mugabe and others. Chinua Achebe long mean ideas When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool. Chinua Achebe world-suffering thought-provoking doors Literature, whether handed down by word or mouth or in print, gives us a second handle on reality. Chinua Achebe literature giving reality An angry man is always a stupid man. Chinua Achebe anger stupid men There is a moral obligation, I think, not to ally oneself with power against the powerless. Chinua Achebe allies moral thinking We shall all live. We pray for life, children, a good harvest and happiness. You will have what is good for you and I will have what is good for me. Let the kite perch and let the egret Chinua Achebe kites wings children Writing is like wrestling; you are wrestling with ideas and with the story. There is a lot of energy required. At the same time, it is exciting. So it is both difficult and easy. What you must accept is that your life is not going to be the same while you are writing. I have said in the kind of exaggerated manner of writers and prophets that writing, for me, is like receiving a term of imprisonment-you know that's what you're in for, for whatever time it takes. Chinua Achebe difficult-and-easy writing wrestling We do not seek to hurt any man, but if any man seeks to hurt us may he break his neck. Chinua Achebe necks hurt men When a mad man walks naked, it is his kinsmen who feel shame, not himself. Chinua Achebe naked mad men When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground. Chinua Achebe library old-man men We live in a society that is in transition from oral to written. There are oral stories that are still there, not exactly in their full magnificence, but still strong in their differentness from written stories. Each mode has its ways and methods and rules. They can reinforce each other; this is the advantage my generation has - we can bring to the written story something of that energy of the story told by word of mouth. Chinua Achebe transition strong energy
