Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1)

by Chinua Achebe

“Never kill a man who says nothing.

‘There is nothing to fear from someone who shouts.’

“There is no story that is not true,”

The inhabitants of Mbanta expected them all to be dead within four days. The first day passed and the second and third and fourth, and none of them died. Everyone was puzzled.

Okonkwo did not answer. But he left hold of Nwoye, who walked away and never returned.

But some of these losses were not irreparable.

How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us?

Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”

In this way Mr. Brown learned a good deal about the religion of the clan and he came to the conclusion that a frontal attack on it would not succeed.

From the very beginning religion and education went hand in hand.

He saw things as black and white. And black was evil.

There was a saying in Umuofia that as a man danced so the drums were beaten for him. Mr. Smith danced a furious step and so the drums went mad.

They had broken into tumult instead of action.