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The man that brings ant-infested faggots into his hut should not grumble when lizards begin to pay him a visit.
Chinua Achebe
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote suggests that individuals should not complain about the consequences of actions they initiated themselves.

Chinua Achebe's quote emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility and awareness of the repercussions that accompany our choices. By bringing trouble or undesirable elements into our lives, we must accept the challenges and issues that arise from our decisions, much like drawing pests to one's home and then being surprised by their presence.

Themes

ResponsibilityConsequencesActionsChoicesAcceptance

In practice

Example use cases

A teacher might use this quote to illustrate the importance of accountability in a classroom discussion.

More from Chinua Achebe

In fact, I thought that Christianity was very a good and a very valuable thing for us. But after a while, I began to feel that the story that I was told about this religion wasn't perhaps completely whole, that something was left out.
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Mr. Brown had thought of nothing but numbers. He should have known that the kingdom of God did not depend on large crowds. Our Lord Himself stressed the importance of fewness. Narrow is the way and few the number. To fill the Lord's holy temple with an idolatrous crowd clamoring for signs was a folly of everlasting consequence. Our Lord used the whip only once in His life - to drive the crowd away from His church.
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It is the storyteller who makes us what we are, who creates history. The storyteller creates the memory that the survivors must have - otherwise their surviving would have no meaning.
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Writing has always been a serious business for me. I felt it was a moral obligation. A major concern of the time was the absence of the African voice. Being part of that dialogue meant not only sitting at the table but effectively telling the African story from an African perspective - in full earshot of the world.
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An angry man is always a stupid man.
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Quote by Chinua Achebe | QuoteProject