A child cannot pay for its mother's milk

— Chinua Achebe

A functioning, robust democracy requires a healthy educated, participatory followership, and an educated, morally grounded leadership.

— Chinua Achebe

Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered. As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings.

— Chinua Achebe

A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so.

— Chinua Achebe

A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness

— Chinua Achebe

Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.

— Chinua Achebe

A snake was never called by its name at night, because it would hear. It was called a string.

— Chinua Achebe

As our fathers said, you can tell a ripe corn by its look.

— Chinua Achebe

But I liked Yeats! That wild Irishman. I really loved his love of language, his flow. His chaotic ideas seemed to me just the right thing for a poet. Passion! He was always on the right side. He may be wrongheaded, but his heart was always on the right side. Furthermore, he wrote beautiful poetry.

— Chinua Achebe

Charity. . . Is the opium of the privileged.

— Chinua Achebe