Until the lion learns how to write: I’m in awe with this quote – it might not sound very profound but does make you stop and think. If you look at most of our histories, they are documented under a certain rule. More often than not, the first thing a winning emperor would do is destroy most of the historical texts and lo behold – history gets rewritten. If you are a poet/document or under such a rule – would you write something inflammatory about such a rule?
The article can be summarised in 2 key points:
- Truth is most times a perception – we ought to take our time before jumping to conclusions.
- Welcome a difference in opinion – they are not attacking you – instead they might know a different view point which can create a balance from a one sided view.
It certainly is a question to ponder. Maybe today, we can say that we’re open to criticism and welcome people’s views. Equally, freedom of speech sometimes is overrated and finding the facts is hard. Ultimately, most grains of truth are masked under a perception. This is what this lovely quote – until the lion learns how to write is telling us.
Until the Lion Learns How to write meaning
I love this quote because it talks about perception, truth and facts. I recently talked about Simon Sinek’s quote – Most truths are a perception – “The truth of most truths is that they are a perception”. No matter how objective we are, there’s always a bias that influences our documentation.
In this quote – until the lion learns how to write, the truth is that history is often documented by ‘Winners’. If you look at most history books, they all glorify the winners of wars and how virtuous they were. Unfortunately, not many talks about the flip side. By now, we all know that there are always two sides to a story. The quote simply inspires us to think about alternate possibilities and investigate these to understand the real meaning.
The problem with most history is that we take it for granted. If we stop a little and investigate, this history might manifest into something richer. Ultimately, it is all about how our facts, truths and perceptions influence us. But we ought to be mindful and ask those pertinent questions before accepting something as an unquestionable fact. So, the next time while reading history or even current affairs, please take some time. Question the facts/perceptions because the truth is always lurking right around the corner.
“Until the lion learns how to write, every story, will glorify the hunter”
J Nozipo Maraire
Truth from the Lion Vs Truth from the Hunter
There will always be a contention between the truth from the hunter vs that of the lion. Unfortunately, most of our history is written by the people who were commissioned by the ‘Winners’. Naturally, the history we see or know is biased to a certain extent. The only way, we can know the truth is when everyone has a voice.
Granted that social media is now offering a chance for everyone to speak. The Whistleblower laws even offer protection – but we should be aware that truth does get quashed at times. I think the most important thing for us to remember or even embrace is a difference in opinion.
Sometimes it feels strange to see passionate disagreements when they get personal. We might even be creating an echo chamber which is destructive to our personal growth as well. A difference of opinion is a great way to ensure that you have people who can challenge your thoughts. This challenge is not an attack but to enhance your thinking.
Truth is elusive – whether it is the hunter or the lion – they both represent only a perspective. One truth doesn’t categorically deny the other.
Who said the African proverb until the lion learns to write?
Chinua Achebe, J Nozipo Maraire, and Anonymous are key contenders for this quote. It is hard to find the real source with so many competitors, but looking at the context, I’m inclined to lean towards the anonymous angle.
Most references to this quote I found are from African writers – perhaps makes sense because the quote symbolises oppression and also Lion as a natural reference to the country. Goodreads identifies J Nozipo Maraire as the author and perhaps that might be the first real reference I’ve come across. Please drop a comment below if you have any evidence that this needs to be attributed to someone else.
Image and quote source – Goodreads
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Regarding the author of the quotation, I’ve heard that before J. Nozipo Maraire was even born (1966), Chinua Achebe wrote this in his novel, titled Things Fall Apart, in 1958.
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Coming from a family of historians I would say you have put words to my thoughts. I was often told your forefathers just muged up some dates and events . I often wanted to tell them that my folks tried to analyse the events to find causes and effects on humans rather than look at the superhuman side mentioned by court historians. A great post..
Thank you mate :). He he, I have a couple of history professors in my family too, even they tend to glorify the past as if it were some magic and like you said these people or kings were super human and stuff like that. I guess end of the day, they too were very simple people and some of them had a lot of pundits around them who wrote some very good lies :D :P
Very good sensible post!
Thank you Rajeev..
Great post Vinay. It is indeed important that we ponder, evaluate and asses all perspectives before we speak or judge others.
Thank you Fayaz. I think that is where the entire truth lies – in our interpretation and the implementation to our lives and eventually what we would like to make out of it.
I agree with the quote, every story has two sides or perhaps, many sides. It just depend on the perspectives. We will never come to know the complete truth behind it so it’s better leaving it to what it is. Great post, Vinay.
Thank you Deeshani.. True, I think any story we come across will just be a representation and there is no real way of knowing. I guess that is where our conscience and logic come into picture so that we make the most sense of the half information provided.