Ma bouche sera la bouche des malheurs qui n'ont point de bouche, ma voix, la liberté de celles qui s'affaissent au cachot du désespoir.
“My mouth shall be the mouth of those calamities that have no mouth, my voice the freedom of those who break down in the prison of despair.”
The poet claims the duty of speaking for the voiceless and oppressed.
— Aimé Césaire, Martinique
Source: Aimé Césaire, Cahier d'un retour au pays natal (Notebook of a Return to the Native Land), 1939
More Proverbs from Martinique
If you want to know where you are going, look at where you came from.
Understanding your roots and past is essential to moving forward wisely.
Little by little, the frog crossed the road.
Patience and small, steady steps eventually accomplish a large goal.
It is the grains of rice that fill the sack.
Every small contribution adds up to something substantial in the end.
One hand washes the other.
People need each other; mutual help is what allows a community to move forward.
What does not kill you makes you move forward.
Hardship, when survived, becomes a source of strength and progress.
Your mouth is your own cooking pot.
Think carefully before you speak, because your words are entirely your own responsibility.