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

F

Intemperate dandyism lands a youth in a creditor's farm as a pawn.
(Squandered resources bring destitution.)

Sit back and you will see how a devious person operates; conceal yourself and you will hear how those who seek others' destruction speak.
(One must be cagey in order to learn the truth about unreliable people.)

Keep your red blood inside and spit out clear saliva.
(Never show your hand to your enemy; let not your words or action reveal your intentions to your enemy.) [44]

Liken one thing to another, liken one matter to another; forgive and forget and earn people's praise.
(Rather than permit an offence to recall earlier ones, one should forgive and forget.)

Keep your troubles inside and laugh heartily; keep your hunger hidden and pretend to weep from satiation.
(One should keep one's woes to oneself and show a happy face to the world.)

Jump this way, jump that way is the way a frog breaks its thigh.
(Restlessness lands people is trouble.)

44. This proverb is sometimes used as a criticism of deceitful people who appear to be friends but are full of ill will: Ọmọ aráyé fẹ̀jẹ̀ sínú tutọ́ funfun jáde (Human beings keep their blood inside and spit out clear saliva).  [Back to text]