Nous préférons la liberté dans la pauvreté à la richesse dans l'esclavage.
“We prefer freedom in poverty to riches in slavery.”
Sékou Touré's declaration during the 1958 referendum campaign, explaining why Guinea chose immediate independence from France over remaining in the French Community.
— Ahmed Sékou Touré, Guinea
Source: Ahmed Sékou Touré, address to Charles de Gaulle, Conakry, August 1958 (widely documented in histories of the 1958 referendum)
More Proverbs from Guinea
One tree does not make a forest.
Unity and community strength accomplish what a single individual cannot.
It is the calm, silent water that drowns a man.
Quiet, unassuming appearances can hide the greatest danger.
However long the night, the day is sure to come.
No matter how hard times become, better days will eventually arrive.
A single bracelet does not jingle.
A person acting alone cannot achieve what a united group can.
The kola nut does not lie.
A gift or gesture offered in sincerity, like the ceremonial kola nut, reveals true intention.
A river that forgets its source will soon run dry.
A person who forgets their origins and family loses their strength.