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

“At the most one could say that his chi or ... personal god was good. But the Ibo people have a proverb that when a man says yes his chi says yes also. Okonkwo said yes very strongly; so his chi agreed. ”

“People regard art too highly, and history not enough”

“Your questions regarding that gentleman are very delicate, very subtle, very much like being smacked in the head with a mallet...it's a tuba among the flutes.”

“Conversing with children is a fine art.... An art form that demands large amounts of both honesty and misdirection. Or maybe discretion is a better word.”

“A Turkish proverb says the one who speaks truth would be expelled from nine villages. This is true; but there always exist the tenth which embraces the truth! The tenth is the answer of the highness to the lowness!”