Akata Warrior Quotes
"Let the reader beware that there is juju in this book."
"Understanding that first page had been deeply satisfying."
"Nonsense stories," Sugar Cream said. "Ogbuide doesn’t kidnap anyone."
"Reading Nsibidi was initially intuitive, forcing the reader to reach deep within and understand that the symbols were alive and that they were shape-shifters, too."
"It was exhausting, mentally taxing and frustrating, but she loved it. So it came."
"When she arrived at Sugar Cream’s office at around eight P.M., her mentor was not there yet."
"Reading Nsibidi is not something I can teach you. Good, good, good. We can do more now."
"Reading Nsibidi is give and take. It gives you experience and knowledge, and in return the magic drinks your energy."
"But she’s learning to accept what you are, even if she doesn’t know exactly what you are, and that’s good and safe for you both."
"See the way you just reacted? It’s not good to live a life dictated by fear."
"Your spirit face is courageous and strong; do you want her to be ashamed of you?"
"She’s not doing all that great today. Might be the rain."
"This is not just something your elders do. It’s an important ritual."
"I was taught in this way. Parts of this book are based on information they told me and experiences I had when I was under the age of three."
"It’s only the first time that throws one off. You will not experience that again when you see me change."
"To see me change back does not have the nauseating effect."
"Students shop for their teachers all the time. Go to the market and everything."
"I hear your brother went off to university today."
"You are pretty good. You want to be like your older brother?"
"The less you know, the better it will be if they come looking for me here."
"Keep your phone close. Rest, eat, and... Chukwu, it's going to be okay."
"I want to make them suffer. Not just his so-called friend Adebayo, or their Capo leader. I want to make all of them suffer."
"What happens if juju is performed against a Lamb?"
"You waited until Orlu had to go see his auntie. You knew Sasha would be with Kehinde today. You wanted to speak to me alone."
"Murks like to slap. Their wings feel like hot steel."
"Do you know who I am? You will die in less than a minute."
"You see me clearly. My name is Sunny Nwazue."
"My brother will return to university. If any of you people lay a finger on him, I will bring a painful death to every one of your relatives and then you, especially you—I know what you've done."
"Those men rock the foundation of learning in this country. We Leopard People have been working for years to eliminate these confraternities at their root."
"With great power comes great responsibility, Sunny. You’re not the best or smartest of your age mates, but you are ... interesting. This is why I took you on. But you need to learn control."
"I did the right thing. I don’t care what anyone says."
"Water is life; water is life; water is life."
"Fear of failure leads to more failure! And you won’t fail this time! You will be able to leave this place, trust me. Remember sunlight? You’ll see it again, if you help!!"
"Go," she said, gently pushing Sunny along. "You walk out of here with dry eyes, okay?"
"I’m okay, Dad," she said. "It tried to kill me."
"You essentially died; that’s what traveling fully into the wilderness requires."
"Something has always been wrong with you. What kind of daughter has God given me?"
"She was never really in prison. She was just ashamed."
"Lord knows that Lambs can be damn annoying, with their silly materialism, hatred of education, and love of remaining stupid."
"Use Ujo sparingly. Even a weak version of it can eventually cause brain damage when used on the same person more than once."
"It’s like swimming in the ocean. You come out wet and when you dry, you’re salty. You need to bathe."
"All alone under the churning sunless sky, she enjoyed her own footwork, imagining that she was playing a one-on-one game against herself."
"She laughed, because it had almost felt like she’d shoved someone."
"It was deflected by a seemingly invisible force."
"Sunny chuckled bitterly to herself and kicked her soccer ball."
"She imagined she was trying to move the ball around her self, and this made her feet move faster."
"She threw off her sandals so she could feel the hard, uneven ground with her tough feet."
"No going forward, no going backward. 'It’s like being dead,' she whispered."
"All the movement had cleared her mind, eased her muscles, and filled her with joy."
"I’m not sure if I like the idea of being in a Jeep with Sasha and Chichi with Chukwu driving."
"Have you been good with your brother, Sunny?"
"There is no juju that can kill a spider. We are sacred."
"Leopard market, they're common. The ones in the U.S. are actual buildings that move to a different place every month."
"It’s New Year’s Day, the markets will be empty. It’ll be easier for strangers to notice us, too."
"Overconsumption is a universal human trait. And so is ignorance."
"Lagos breathes stories. It is life and death; it is many worlds in one."
"I lived the first nine years of my life in New York City."
"Anyanwu, give me strength. Help me tell this well."
"Kids stayed with their own kinds, especially black and white."
"I sort of moved from group to group. I didn’t fit in anywhere."
"This one day when I was in third grade was bad."
"Dirty African booty scratcher," Faye spat. "Filthy diseased Shaka Zulu bitch."
"I’m filthy? You, YOU’RE the one who is filthy!"
"It’ll be the greatest story ever told and only those like me will see it unfold."
"Maybe the leftover spider poison is making me giddy, I don’t know."
"Live in the moment. Don’t know about y’all, but I’m going to make the most of this."
"The universe guides us all, it's up to us to listen."
"When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame scorch you."
"To build on one’s ancestral land was to keep one’s family name alive. It was immortality."
"If I die now, I die," she briefly thought. And she meant it.
"The deep drumbeats grew rapid and the flute crescendoed into a shrill screech."
"Never unmask a masquerade. You hear me? That is an abomination!"
"Grass." It was a fresh light green, and it wriggled playfully beneath her.
"It is what it is." She was relieved when the grass didn’t bite her.
"But I suspect being close to God can cause . . . revelations."
"It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!"