Àgbà wá búra bí èwe kò bá șe ọ́ rí — Yoruba Wisdom on Humility, Age, and Memory

Last updated: January 20, 2026

Yoruba Wisdom

Àgbà wá búra bí èwe kò bá șe ọ́ rí

Literal Translation

Dear elder, can you swear that you were never once childish?

Expanded Rendering

Can any elder honestly swear that they never passed through foolishness, excess, error, or youthful folly before arriving at wisdom?

Interpretation

This saying is a gentle but piercing interrogation of moral authority. It challenges elders, leaders, and those who speak from positions of experience to confront their own past honestly.

Rather than accusing the elder outright, it asks for an oath — knowing full well that such an oath cannot be truthfully taken. The wisdom lies in the implication: every elder was once èwe — inexperienced, impulsive, flawed, and capable of foolishness.

It reminds us that wisdom is not innate, nor does maturity arrive untested. Growth is cumulative, layered, and often messy.

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Context & Cultural Meaning

This saying is a gentle but piercing Yoruba rebuke, directed not at youth, but at elders who have forgotten their own beginnings.

In Yoruba moral thought, age does not erase memory — it is expected to refine it. An elder who judges harshly, scolds without mercy, or demands perfection from the young is quietly reminded:

You, too, were once èwe.

The proverb does not accuse; it invites remembrance. It does not mock age; it protects humility.

Yoruba culture holds that wisdom is not proven by faultlessness, but by patience born from experience. Anyone who has truly lived knows that growth is uneven, noisy, and sometimes embarrassing. To deny that is not maturity — it is amnesia.

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Moral Reflection

An elder who forgets their own childhood becomes dangerous with authority.

This saying restores balance by asking a simple question that cannot be answered honestly with pride. It teaches that compassion is the evidence of wisdom, and that those who survived folly owe grace to those still learning.

An age that cannot remember is an age that cannot teach.

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Application

The saying is most relevant wherever authority meets vulnerability:

• In leadership, it tempers judgment with memory.

• In parenting, it restrains impatience.

• In mentorship, it replaces scolding with guidance.

• In governance, it warns against moral absolutism.

It urges elders to lead from remembrance rather than denial, and to correct without contempt.

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Broad Theme

Humility rooted in lived experience

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Supporting Themes

• Wisdom as a product of error

• Moral restraint in leadership

• Intergenerational empathy

• The danger of forgotten beginnings

• Authority moderated by memory

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Closing Reflection

An elder who remembers being èwe disciplines with compassion. An elder who forgets becomes harsh in the name of wisdom.

True maturity is not the absence of foolishness — it is the courage to remember it.