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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About Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Born in Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria, Adichie's childhood was influenced by the aftermath of colonial rule, and the Nigerian Civil War which took the lives of both of her grandfathers. The war was the setting for her first novel and the subject of her second. Most of her works explore the themes of religion, Americanization, immigration, racism, gender, marriage, motherhood and womanhood. She was educated at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and moved to the United States at nineteen to complete her education. She first published the poetry collection Decisions in 1997, which was followed by a play, For Love of Biafra, in 1998. In less than ten years, she published eight books: novels, poems, book essays and collections, memoirs, children's books, reviews and short stories. Adichie has cited Chinua Achebe, Buchi Emecheta, Enid Blyton and other authors as inspirations. Her style juxtaposes Western and African influences, particularly focusing on her own native Igbo language and culture.
Adichie's 2009 TED Talk "The Danger of a Single Story" is one of the most viewed TED Talks of all time. Her 2012 talk "We Should All Be Feminists", was sampled by Beyoncé and featured on a tee-shirt by the French fashion house Dior in 2016. Adichie advocates using fashion as a medium to break down stereotypes and was recognised for her "Wear Nigerian Campaign" with a Shorty Award in 2018. Both her written works and public speaking encourage recognition of the diversity of humanity and the need for equality. She has received numerous academic awards, fellowships, and honourary degrees, among them a MacArthur Fellowship in 2008 and an induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017.