Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart

Modern influential 77 sayings

Sayings by Chinua Achebe

The strength of the clan is the strength of the individual.

1958 — Things Fall Apart
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The storyteller is a problem-solver.

late 20th century — A sentiment from his essays, exact quote hard to pinpoint.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

A man who has nowhere to lay his head is a wanderer.

1958 — Things Fall Apart
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said that he would praise himself if no one else did.

1958 — Things Fall Apart
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The language of the colonizer is not the language of the colonized.

late 20th century — A central theme in his essays and interviews, exact phrasing varies.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.

1983 — The Trouble with Nigeria
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

The death of a man is like the fall of a mighty tree.

1958 — Things Fall Apart
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

We cannot trample upon the humanity of others without devaluing our own.

late 20th century — From his essays, widely quoted.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The world is not a place for cowards.

late 20th century — A sentiment expressed in his novels, exact quote hard to pinpoint.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Storytellers are a threat. They are subversive. They are dangerous. What we call information is not knowledge.

late 20th century — Interview, various sources
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.

late 20th century — Commonly attributed, but exact source hard to verify.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The white man thinks he has everything, but he has nothing.

late 20th century — A sentiment from his novels, exact quote hard to pinpoint.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Africa is people. Africa is a continent of people.

late 20th century — Interview, various sources
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The educated are not always the wise.

late 20th century — A common observation in his works, exact quote hard to pinpoint.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The price of a lie is that you don't know when it's going to stop.

late 20th century — A sentiment from his essays, exact quote hard to pinpoint.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The story is a net to catch the wind.

late 20th century — A poetic expression from his essays, exact quote hard to pinpoint.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Every generation must discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it, in relative opacity.

1965 — From 'The Novelist as Teacher'
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The world is not a market where you can buy and sell everything.

late 20th century — A sentiment from his novels, exact quote hard to pinpoint.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Art is man's constant effort to create for himself a different order of reality from that which is given to him.

late 20th century — From his essays, widely quoted.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The writer is often faced with the dilemma of how to write about a society that is rapidly changing.

late 20th century — A common theme in his essays and interviews, exact phrasing varies.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable