Barbette

“The oldest man present said sternly that those whose palm-kernels were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble.”
― Chinua Achebe, THINGS FALL APART

“...as the saying goes, an old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb.”
― Chinua Achebe, THINGS FALL APART

“He sang it in his mind, and walked to its beat. If the song ended on his right foot, his mother was alive. If it ended on his left, she was dead. No, not dead, but ill. It ended on the right. She was alive and well. He sang the son again, and it ended on the left. But the second time did not count. The first voice gets to Chukwu, or God's house. That was a favorite saying of children. Ikemuna felt like a child once more. It must be the thought of going home to his mother.”
― Chinua Achebe

“Having spoken plainly so far, Okoye said the next half a dozen sentences in proverbs. Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten.”
― Chinua Achebe, THINGS FALL APART