Part 4: On perseverance, industry, resilience, self-confidence, self-reliance, resourcefulness, daring, fortitude, and invulnerability

Sdot

Ṣàngó ò lè pa igi ńlá.
Ṣàngó cannot destroy a huge tree.
(The substantial and well-established person is better able to withstand adversity than weaklings.)

Ṣe kóo ní; àbá ò di tẹni; èèyàn ò ṣoògùn ọrọ̀.
Work in order that you might have; intentions do not become possessions; no one makes money by magic.
(Labor, not idle thought, produces wealth.)

Ṣiṣe-é rorò, jíjẹ ọ̀fẹ́.
Working is difficult; one would rather freeload.
(Few people enjoy labor; all would like to live the good life for free.)

Ṣòkòtò gbọọrọ ò dọlà; abíni lÓÉkòó ò dowó.
Long trousers do not amount to wealth; being born in Lagos does not ensure riches.
(Wealth does not come from dressing well or living in a big city.)

Ṣòkòtò tí ńṣiṣẹ́ àrán, oko ní ńgbé.
The pants that do the work that purchases the velvet fabric stays on the farm.
(The real workers and producers of wealth are liable to be less in the public eye than their beneficiaries.)