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Part 3: On cageyness, caution, moderation, patience, and prudence

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Ṣàǹgbákó ró, a ní kò róo re, Ṣàǹgbàkù-ú gbè é lẹ́sẹ̀.
Ṣàǹgbákó makes a sound and we say the sound is foul, and then Ṣàǹgbàkù lends its voice in its support.
(Do not choose to do things that others before you have been condemned for doing.)

Ṣe-ká-rí-mi, alájá tó so ẹ̀gi mọ́rùn.
Exhibitionist, a dog owner who ties a sheep's mane around his own neck.
(Do not go to too great lengths to call people's attention to yourself.) [93]

“Ṣé kí nfìdí hẹ?” làfòmọ́ fi ńdi onílé.
“May I perch here awhile?” is the ruse by which the climber-parasite becomes a permanent resident.
(Give people an inch, and they are liable to take several miles.)

Ṣe-ǹ-ṣe dìwọ̀fà, bó ṣe é yó dẹrú-u wọn.
The habit that made a person a pawn: if the person persists in it it will make him or her a slave.
(One should desist from pursuits that have proved unprofitable.)

Ṣe-ǹ-ṣe ewúrẹ́ làgùntàn ńfiyè sí.
The habit of the goat is what the sheep pays attention to.
(One would be wise to learn from the behaviour and plight of fools.)

 

93. Ẹ̀gi is a ram's mane used as an ornamental collar around a dog's neck.  [Back to text]

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