Proverbs in Things Fall Apart

Proverbs are very important part of African oral culture, and therefore prominent in Things Fall Apart. They are the glue that binds the whole book together, and their significance often spreads above and beyond their original context.

Use of proverbs--- 1) to pass wisdom from one generation to another.

                              2) to make sure it is not myth

There are plenty of proverbs can be found in the novel but I am highlighting the most found ones. 

Chapter 1:

"Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water."
he was fast agile and clever

"Proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten."
Palm oil is a rich yellow oil pressed from the fruit of certain palm trees and used both for fuel and cooking. In their culture they used proverbs to communicate and to keep a better style, to show wisdom(intelligence) in a poetic way. In their culture they used proverbs in order to communicate and to use a more elevated style, to be clear and make vocabulary more interesting

"Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them."
Unoka uses this phrase to say that he will pay his biggest debtors before the smallest.

"If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings."
By removing the dirt of the ancestors you can have a chance of a different future; each one builds his own fame.

Chapter 2:

"When the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for walk."
That for this tribe, the shining of the moon is so important that it gave them courage so that a cripple can walk *cripple means a person who is disabled or impaired in any way

Chapter 3:

"Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch too. If one says no to other, let his wing break."
Okonkwo was ashamed of his father and was afraid of having the same misfortune of his father and the same end.

"A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness."
A man who respects greatness is more likely to be great himself. A successful man should respect greatness.

"A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing"
That something strange does not happen for nothing; all happens for a reason.

"An old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb."
Someone who has a problem with something (Okonkwo with his father) can not laugh when a joke is made about it.

"The lizard that jumped from high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did."
Okonkwo feels proud of his achievements even if nobody recognizes it.

"Eneke the bird says that since men have learned to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching."
People adapt to other people's learnings, particularly when the other person's learnings would harm you if you kept on your present course. If Nwakibie gave yams to every man who asked, many of the yams would be wasted by their lack of effort.

"You can tell a ripe corn by its look"
Nwakibie can tell that Okonkwo is ready to receive his gift and not take it for granted.

"A proud heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone."

Chapter 4:

"Looking at the king's mouth, one would think he never sucked at his mother breasts"
Although Okonkwo that once was a little baby, it feels as he never could be so vulnerable, because now is so big and robust.

"Those whose palm-kernels were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble."
People who are blessed with luck by the gods, should be humble, and not criticize other people.

"When a man says yes his chi says yes also."
A man's spirit will guide him and help him.

"They called him the little bird nza who so far forgot himself after a heavy meal that he challenged his chi."
Okonkwo was said to be so prideful he would challenge his own chi.

Chapter 8:

"A child's fingers are not scalded by a piece of hot yam which its mother puts into its palm" Children obeying their mother are not punished.

"When mother-cow is chewing grass its young ones watch its mouth."
Children learn from their parents.

Chapter 13:

"If one finger brought oil is soiled the others."
Dirtiness and evil spread if they are not cleansed.

Chapter 14:

"Mother is supreme"
Mother is the start of each life and the home of it. See related links for a more detailed explanation.

Chapter 15:

"Never kill a man who says nothing."
If someone does not say anything, then something is wrong. If someone complains then it may be right to do something in response.

"There is nothing to fear from someone who shouts."
People who shout in protest are less likely to be men of action.

Chapter 16:

"Living fire begets cold, impotent ash."
If one's power is too great, things next to it will not have enough room to grow properly. Because of Okonkwo's great prowess, his son could not become as great.

Chapter 19:

"A child can not pay for his mothers’ milk."
It is unreasonable to expect a child to pay his parents for taking care of him/her, as that is just the nature of things. It is expected. The only way to repay this is to pay it forward.

Chapter 22:

"As a man danced so the drums were beaten for him."

Chapter 24:

"Men have learned to shoot without missing their mark and I have learned to fly without perching on a twig."
Outside forces can force one to change their habits in response, even if the response seems unnatural.