Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Quote
It had to be that Americans were taught, from elementary school, to always say something in class, no matter what. [...] They never said I don't know. They said, instead, I'm not sure, which did not give any information but still suggested the possibility of knowledge. And they ambled, these Americans, they walked without rhythm. They avoided giving direct instructions: they did not say Ask somebody upstairs; they said You might want to ask somebody upstairs. When you tripped and fell, when you choked, when misfortune befell you, they did not say Sorry. They said Are you OK? when it was obvious that you were not. And when you said Sorry to them when they choked or tripped or encountered misfortune, they replied, eyes wide with surprise, Oh, it's not your fault. And they overused the world excited, a professor excited about a new book, a student excited about a class, a politician on TV excited about a law; it was altogether too much excitement.
It had to be that Americans were taught, from elementary school, to always say something in class, no matter what. [...] They never said I don't know. They said, instead, I'm not sure, which did not give any information but still suggested the possibility of knowledge. And they ambled, these Americans, they walked without rhythm. They avoided giving direct instructions: they did not say Ask somebody upstairs; they said You might want to ask somebody upstairs. When you tripped and fell, when you choked, when misfortune befell you, they did not say Sorry. They said Are you OK? when it was obvious that you were not. And when you said Sorry to them when they choked or tripped or encountered misfortune, they replied, eyes wide with surprise, Oh, it's not your fault. And they overused the world excited, a professor excited about a new book, a student excited about a class, a politician on TV excited about a law; it was altogether too much excitement.
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