Àgbà tí kò bínú – Yoruba Wisdom on Temperament and Influence

Last updated: January 20, 2026

Yoruba Wisdom

Àgbà tí kò bínú ni ọmọ rẹ̀ ńpọ̀ jọọjọ

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Literal Translation

It is the elder who does not get angry easily, who is not temperamental, whose children (or followers) gather around him in abundance.

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Interpretation

This saying reflects a deep Yoruba insight into human nature, leadership, and social gravity. In Yoruba thought, anger is not merely an emotion; it is a climate. People instinctively gravitate toward environments where they feel safe, heard, and unharmed.

An elder who is quick to anger becomes distant, feared, and avoided. By contrast, the elder who is slow to anger, patient in response, and measured in temperament becomes a centre of gravity. Children, followers, apprentices, and dependents naturally cluster around such a person, not out of obligation, but out of trust.

The saying, therefore, reframes authority: influence is sustained by emotional steadiness, not volatility.

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Application

This expression is commonly used to comment on:

• Parenting styles
• Leadership and mentorship
• Community elders and rulers
• Teachers, clergy, and authority figures

It teaches that approachability multiplies influence. Children learn more readily, followers remain loyal, and communities grow healthier around leaders who correct without exploding, guide without humiliating, and discipline without instability.

In modern contexts, workplaces, organisations, politics, and families, the saying remains sharply relevant: people stay where anger is not weaponised.

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Broad Theme

Temperament and Influence

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Supporting Themes

• Emotional intelligence in leadership
• Patience as social capital
• Authority without fear
• Trust, safety, and community
• Yoruba philosophy of leadership

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Closing Reflection

Yoruba wisdom here offers a subtle paradox: strength that shouts repels; strength that steadies attracts. The elder whose anger is rare becomes a refuge, not a threat—and it is around such figures that people gather, remain, and flourish.

This is not a weakness. It is mastery of self, and mastery of self, in Yoruba thought, that is the root of lasting authority.