“Go tell him that he did not harpoon the shark.”
Delivered upon his 1894 surrender to French forces, Béhanzin — the "Shark King" of Dahomey — insisted his spirit and sovereignty had not been captured, only his kingdom's battlefield fortune.
— King Béhanzin, Benin
Source: King Béhanzin of Dahomey, farewell message to General Alfred Dodds, January 1894, as recorded in Jean Plya, "Kondo le requin" (Éditions CLE); reproduced in "Behanzin's Farewell Speech in Dahomey," African Heritage / afrolegends.com, and corroborated by "Resist with dignity: The final speech of King Béhanzin," nofi.media
More Proverbs from Benin
Silence is an attribute of the dead; he who is alive speaks.
Living, engaged people communicate; withdrawing into silence is a kind of death.
Anyone who sees beauty and does not look at it will soon be poor.
Failing to notice and appreciate the good things in life leads to a poorer existence.
Work is the medicine for poverty.
Labor and effort are the true remedy for hardship and want.
The world is a journey; the afterworld is home.
Earthly life is temporary travel, while the true, lasting home lies beyond it.
A great affair covers up a small matter.
A major issue easily overshadows and hides a lesser one.
Anyone who plants a tree before they die has not lived in vain.
Leaving something lasting behind gives a life meaning and purpose.