Twenty-one Yorùbá proverbs on doing and receiving favors, the risk that kindness goes unrewarded or turns to harm, and the moral weight of ingratitude, drawn from a thinner sourced record than most themes in this corpus.
The Yorùbá wey dem quote, the proverbs, oríkì, ẹsẹ Ifá, word list headwords, Odù names and citations dey exactly as the corpus record dem, for every language.
Dis file gather twenty-one Yorùbá proverbs on top oore, favor or kindness wey person do for somebody, and wetin dey happen to am afterward: weda dem pay am back, waste am, forget am, or pay am back with bad thing. Gratitude and reciprocity no plenty for di source record reach most oda themes for dis batch, and dis file dey open about am instead of to just add numbers make e reach round figure. Wetin dey inside di record no really be proverbs wey person wey receive favor dey talk. Na proverbs wey dem talk from di position of di giver, wey dey think weda make e do kindness at all, and proverbs wey dey describe wetin favor dey do to im own future once e don comot for di giver hand. Ingratitude show face mostly as wetin di giver dey fear, no be like fault wey dem name and condemn from di receiver side.
Di proverbs wey dey below come from Oyekan Owomoyela digitised The Good Person: Excerpts from the Yorùbá Proverb Treasury, wey University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries Electronic Text Center host, mainly Part 6, "On consideration, kindness, and thoughtfulness" Small number come from Part 2 and 3 of di same digitised excerpts, "On perspicaciousness, circumspection, and wisdom" and "On caution, moderation, and prudence," where dem show face during keyword search for oore (favor, kindness), olóore (person wey dey kind), dúpẹ́ (to give thanks), and ẹ̀san (reward, requital) across di proverbs for dose sections wey dey talk about oda main subjects. Each entry below get mark of di part wey dem take am from inside im Notes. Owomoyela notes inside bracket na im form di base of di Used when lines; where di wording of di note na im own, dem quote am. Anything wey dem mark as di compiler own get lower confidence.
Owomoyela own six-part organizing scheme, wey dem reproduce for di wealth-and-money file of dis corpus [see owe-wealth-poverty-money], no get any part wey dem dedicate strictly to gratitude or reciprocity like dat. Di proverbs wey dem gather here mostly show face inside Part 6, wey dem give title around di giver virtue, consideration, and kindness, no be around how di receiver respond to am. Na real fact about how di compiler assemble and arrange dis corpus into themes, no be mistake from search, and na e make dis file get twenty-one entries while oda related files for dis batch reach forty or more. Di second fact wey join am: several proverbs wey initial search bring out wey close to gratitude, about inheritance, about children wey dey thank parents, about di reciprocal warmth of generous household, dem don already gather dem for owe-family-lineage-compound, owe-children-parenthood-inheritance, and owe-wealth-poverty-money, because Owomoyela himself group dem put dia. Dem cross-reference dose ones below instead of to repeat dem, and dat one further reduce wetin remain for file wey dey specifically on gratitude.
Web search for peer-reviewed or university-press academic work wey specifically treat gratitude, ingratitude, or reciprocity inside Yorùbá proverbs bring out one oda usable text to close di file: Salahu-Deen and Ọlawale's article on educational principles inside Yorùbá proverbs, wey dem publish for Journal of African Language Teachers Association . E print one proverb on reciprocal treatment between people wey no dey di same level, wey dem gather from one named fieldwork informant for Kwara State for 2025, in full standard orthography. Most oda search results na non-academic aggregator sites (blog posts, listicle pages, social media accounts) and dem no use dem here, as e match dis corpus sourcing rule.
None of di twenty-one proverbs below duplicate entries wey dem don already gather for owe-iwa-character, owe-truthfulness-lying-integrity, owe-pride-humility-self-knowledge, owe-family-lineage-compound, owe-children-parenthood-inheritance, or owe-wealth-poverty-money. Di confirmed near-duplicates and thematic overlaps wey dem find during compilation, dem note dem for where dem dey.
Literal: Àgbà elder, ṣoore do-a-favor má wo bẹ̀ do-not watch it.
Idiomatic: "Elder, do a favor and remove your eyes from it."
Meaning: Once person do kindness, make e let am go instead of to dey monitor am for payback.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Do not advertize your acts of kindness, or pointedly await acknowledgment of them"
Notes: From Part 6 of di digitised excerpts. Di verb wo, to watch or look at, treat favor like object wey person fit dey look di way person dey watch debtor, and di whole power of di proverb na to tell di elder make e stop to dey do dat kind thing. E set di ground for di rest of dis file: from di giver side, to dey expect gratitude na small fault on im own, and na one reason why record no too get proverbs wey dey praise person wey receive favor by name.
Literal: A kì í ṣoore tán one does-not do-a-favor finish ká lóṣòó tì í and camp beside it.
Idiomatic: "One does not do a favor and then camp by it."
Meaning: Kindness wey person don finish, make e leave am behind, make e no dey hang around wait for am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Having done some good, do not hang around to compel gratitude"
Notes: From Part 2 of di digitised excerpts (perspicaciousness and wisdom), where e show face among proverbs about self-control instead of kindness directly, wey be evidence say Owomoyela own thematic sorting treat "make you no hang around wait for thanks" like discipline problem pass kindness problem. Na near-restatement of entry 1 claim with different image, to camp instead of to watch, wey show say di warning make person no dey beg for gratitude common reach to get pass one fixed phrasing.
Literal: A-ṣoore-jókòó-tì-í one-who-does-a-favor-and-sits-beside-it, bí aláìṣe ni is-like one-who-has-done-nothing.
Idiomatic: "A person who does a favor and squats by it is like a person who has done no favor."
Meaning: To dey wait openly make person thank you dey cancel di reward of di kindness itself.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person no suppose dey dwell on di favor wey im do"
Notes: From Part 2 of di digitised excerpts. Di compressed noun A-ṣoore-jókòó-tì-í follow di same pattern like di a- agentive epithets wey dey throughout dis collection (compare À-bí-ì-kọ́ for owe-iwa-character), e dey use whole clause take name kind of person instead of adjective. Na dis proverb sharp pass among di three "no wait for your favor" proverbs for dis file: e no just discourage di behavior, e talk say di behavior dey wipe comot di good deed itself.
Literal: Ilé olóore the-house of-a-kind-person kì í wó tán never collapses completely; tìkà that-of-a-wicked-person kì í wó kù never collapses leaving-anything-standing.
Idiomatic: "The home of a kind-hearted person never collapses completely; the home of a wicked person always collapses, leaving nothing standing."
Meaning: Kindness dey leave something wey stand even inside ruin; wickedness dey bring everything down join body.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Good go attract good, and evil go attract evil"
Notes: From Part 6. Dis na companion image to Igbá olóore kì í fọ́, wey dem don already collect for owe-wealth-poverty-money, wey dey use calabash wey no fit break take make di same claim about di household of person wey get good heart. Owomoyela print dat entry and dis one as cross-referenced variants of di same underlying proverb; dis file use di house version because dem don already put di calabash version inside di wealth file.
Literal: Oore kì í gbé a-good-deed does-not go-lost; ìkà kì í dànù a-wicked-deed does-not spill-away; à-ṣoore-jindò doing-a-favor-while-drowning-in-a-river ní mmúni pàdánù oore is-what makes-one lose-out-on the-favor.
Idiomatic: "A good deed does not go for nought; a wicked deed is never lost; drowning while doing a favor is what makes the good person lose out on the rewards for his goodness."
Meaning: In principle, dem dey pay back both kindness and wickedness in kind, but how person take do kindness fit still make di giver lose im reward.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Every kindness, just like every wickedness, get reward; but person suppose dey careful as im dey do favor"
Notes: From Part 6. Dis na di clearest statement for di whole set about general law of reciprocity, good dey return to di giver, evil dey return to di person wey do am, and im own third clause sharp sharp add condition to am: kindness wey person do without care (di image of person wey dey drown) fit still waste. Di proverb reject di simple version of im own claim for di same breath wey e take state am, and dat one tally with how dis collection dey show for other places say proverbs dey cut down dia own generalizations.
Literal: Tìkà wickedness toore and-kindness, ọ̀kan kì í gbé neither is-lost.
Idiomatic: "Wickedness or kindness, neither goes for nought."
Meaning: Both good and bad treatment dey eventually return back to di person wey do am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Wickedness and kindness must surely get reward"
Notes: From Part 6. Di two-word compression of tìkà toore join di terms together as one unit before di verb land, so di sentence use grammar take state di balance before e state am as claim. E be shorter restatement of entry 5 law without any condition, and e no get dat entry warning about how person take dey do favor.
Literal: "Má fẹ̀ẹ́ ọwọ́-ọ̀ mi kù" "so-that my-hand not be-found-empty" tí ńyan gúgúrú fún eégún roasted popcorn for a-masquerader; eégún náàá ní the-masquerader too said "Má fẹ̀ẹ́ ọwọ́-ọ̀ mi kù"; ó fún un ní ọmọláńgidi he gave him a-wooden-doll.
Idiomatic: "'Just so you won't find my hand empty' roasted popcorn for the masquerader; the masquerader also responded with 'Just so you won't find my hands empty' and gave him a wooden doll."
Meaning: Gift wey person give as token, no be as obligation, dey receive token back as answer: reciprocity for here na matching gesture, no be debt wey person settle.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Stinginess no go win generosity as return" , as e dey explain dis proverb against im companion for di same cluster.
Notes: From Part 6. Di masquerade, eégún, na costumed ancestral performer wey people wey dey look dey give gifts during festival for real life, so di exchange wey dem describe here no be made-up thing but ritual moment wey people sabi well well. Di two sides dey talk di exact same formula before dem give, wey show reciprocity like exact echo: di same words, di same level of gift, popcorn for small carved doll instead of anything wey big pass dat.
Literal: M̀bá-lówó-m̀bá-se-ọ̀lẹ̀lẹ̀-fún-Agọ́n had-I-money-I-would-cook-bean-cake-for-Agọ́n: ìjímèrè kì í jẹ oko ẹ̀ the-brown-monkey does-not eat his farm kó sọ̀ and-he complain.
Idiomatic: "Had I money I would cook bean meal for the Agọ́n masquerader; the brown monkey's raiding of his farm never elicits a complaint from him."
Meaning: Person wey no fit pay back favor in kind at least no dey show bad belle to di person wey benefit from am, just as poor man wey no fit feed masquerade no go begrudge monkey for di small thing wey e take.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person suppose acknowledge and return di favors wey other people do for am"
Notes: From Part 6. Dem build di proverb as full compressed nominal, di wish itself, had I money, stand in for di person wey get di wish, na construction wey other files inside this corpus also note say e be way Yorùbá proverbs dey take describe one type of person through wetin dem talk inside mind. Owomoyela usage note explain di proverb say na about to acknowledge favor wey person owe dem; di text itself still dey talk well-well about person wey too poor to give but wey still dey careful make e no complain when dem take small thing from am, and di two meaning no really agree with each other well well. Confidence on how di text and gloss fit each other: medium.
Literal: Igún ṣoore the-vulture did-a-favor ó pá lórí it-became bald-headed; àkàlà-á ṣoore the-hornbill did-a-favor ó yọ gẹ̀gẹ̀ it-developed a-goiter; nítorí ọjọ́ mìíràn because-of another-day kẹni ó má ṣe oore bẹ́ẹ̀ mọ́ let-one not do that-kind-of-favor again.
Idiomatic: "The vulture did others a favor and became bald in return; the hornbill did others a favor and developed a goiter in return; in the future, one should not do those kinds of favor."
Meaning: Some kind kindness na disfigurement dem dey take pay am back instead of thank you, and di proverb bring out di practical conclusion: make person stop to dey do dat particular kind favor.
Used when: Dem dey use am talk about person wey dey warn make person no repeat generosity wey cost person heavy thing .
Notes: From Part 3 of di digitised excerpts (caution, moderation, and prudence), no be from di kindness section, wey show say di main weight of this proverb dey on caution pass gratitude. Na this text open cluster of at least four variants about vulture-and-hornbill image wey Owomoyela cross-reference across different parts of im collection: see entry 10 and 11 for bottom, and compare di shorter Ẹni tí a ṣe lóore tí kò dúpẹ́ on proper ingratitude. Dem dey take di bird images (baldness, goiter) inside Yorùbá oral literature as marks wey di birds truly carry for body, so di proverb dey give folk etiology for those features say na di price of ancestral kindness, no be ordinary metaphor.
Literal: Ooré di ẹrẹ̀ a-favor became mud lAwẹ́ in-Awẹ́ town; àwọn igúnnugún ṣoore the-vultures did-a-favor wọ́n pá lórí they-became bald-headed.
Idiomatic: "A favor has turned to mud in Awẹ́ town; the vulture did a favor and went bald."
Meaning: Good deed wey person do for particular place, or particular kind good deed, get history wey people know for dat area say e dey spoil for di person wey do am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person suppose dey careful about to dey do favor, make e no come back come disturb person"
Notes: From Part 3. Awẹ́ na real town for present-day Oyo State, and as e mention di name, e make di warning wey for just be general thing hold specific local case wey people fit remember, di way owe-iwa-character note say historical marker like di "European dog" fit date one proverb. Na this variant of entry 9 give di warning specific place instead of general "for future," and Owomoyela cross-reference di two directly.
Literal: Oore tí Agbe-é ṣe the-favor that Agbe did lỌ́fà in-Ọ̀fà town, ó dagbe it made-him a-beggar.
Idiomatic: "The favor Agbe did in Ọ̀fà town reduced him to begging."
Meaning: Particular act of generosity, inside particular case wey people remember, cost di giver everything wey e get.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person suppose learn from Agbe example and dey careful when e dey do favor"
Notes: From Part 3. Ọ̀fà na town for present-day Kwara State. Whether Agbe na name of person from history or legend, or e dey function as stock name di way Bánjọ dey do inside di self-knowledge proverbs wey dem gather for owe-pride-humility-self-knowledge, no be something wey person fit know from di text alone. Di pun wey hide inside di Yorùbá, Agbe ó dagbe, "Agbe turn to beggar," wey almost rhyme with di giver own name, na part of why dem dey remember di case as cautionary tale wey get name instead of to just state am as general rule.
Literal: Oore-é pọ̀ the-favor was-plentiful, a fìkà san án it-was-repaid with-wickedness.
Idiomatic: "The favor was excessive; it was repaid with wickedness."
Meaning: Kindness wey pass wetin dem ask for or wetin dem expect fit bring resentment instead of gratitude.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Favor wey too much dey bring enmity"
Notes: From Part 3. Out of all di proverb inside this file, this one na di most direct statement about ingratitude as named social fact, as e use san, to repay or pay back, di normal verb for settling debt, wey dem apply here to debt wey dem settle in reverse. Di claim say na generosity wey pass mark dey specifically bring wicked response, instead of just any generosity at all, na sharper and less comfortable position pass di plain law of reciprocity for entry 5 and 6, and dem leave di two standing in tension without reconciling dem.
Literal: Ẹni tí a ṣe lóore the-person for-whom one has-done a-favor tí kò dúpẹ́ who does-not give-thanks, bí ọlọ́ṣà-á kóni lẹ́rù ni is-like a-robber who-has-carried-off one's-goods.
Idiomatic: "A person whom one does a favor but who shows no gratitude is like a robber who has stolen one's goods."
Meaning: If person fail to thank for kindness wey dem receive, dem dey treat am as theft, no be just bad manners.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Ingratitude be like robbery"
Notes: From Part 6. Na this single proverb for the file call dúpẹ́, to give thanks, directly, and na im near pass for the source record wey dey talk about wetin person wey receive favor suppose do instead of the carefulness wey person wey dey give suppose get. The comparison to robbery straight, e no be loose comparison: favor dey treated like property wey don leave giver hand, and if person hold the thank you wey e suppose give back, dem frame am like say e take something wey dem no dash am fully.
Literal: Inúure good-heartedness kì í pani does-not kill-one, wàhálà trouble ní ńkó báni is-what it brings-one.
Idiomatic: "Good will towards others does not kill; it only gets one into trouble."
Meaning: To do good no dey kill person, but e dey always bring wahala come meet person wey do am.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person suppose dey careful about doing good to others"
Notes: From Part 6, dem print am there immediately after Inú búburú, oògùn òṣì ("bad mind na the medicine wey dey bring bad luck"), and Owomoyela cross-reference am to am, so the way dem join the two together put the risk of doing good directly against the risk of doing bad and find say dem no equal: to do bad dey bring clear bad luck, but kindness dey bring only wahala, wey be smaller cost but still be real cost. Na this proverb dark pass for the file about doing good, and e belong beside entry 9 reach 12 as proof say the tradition wey dem source treat generosity like something wey get true-true risk instead of something wey go automatically bring reward, no mind wetin entry 5 and 6 claim.
Literal: O ní kí ará ọ̀run ṣe oore fún ọ you say let the-person-from-heaven do a-favor for-you; bẹ́ẹ̀ni o rí ẹni tí eégún ńlé yet you see the-one whom the-masquerader is-chasing, tó fá lọ́bẹ̀ lá whose stew he licked-up.
Idiomatic: "You pray to the being from heaven to grant you a boon; yet you can see the person being chased by the masquerader and whose stew the masquerader has consumed."
Meaning: Person wey don treat another person badly before no suppose expect say that same person, or person like dem, go answer dem when dem beg for kindness.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person no suppose expect better treatment from person wey dem know say dey wicked to other people"
Notes: From Part 2. Ará ọ̀run, "person wey come from heaven," and the masquerade, eégún, dey treated like different forms of the same figure, ancestor visitor wey the way e behave to one household dey show how e go behave to another household. Na this proverb near pass for the file to show say reciprocity na warning instead of promise: e no talk say good go follow good back, e dey talk say person wey everybody know say bad, nobody fit count on im kindness for future, wey be narrower claim and easy to defend pass the general law for entry 5 and 6.
Literal: Àgbò ò ṣéé mú a-ram cannot be-given; ọ̀dá ò ṣéé mú a-gelded-animal cannot be-given; ohun gbogbo ní ńtóbi lójú ahun everything is-excessive in-the-eye of-a-miser.
Idiomatic: "A ram is too much to give; a gelded animal is too much to give; everything is excessive in the sight of a miser."
Meaning: For person wey no wan give, any gift wey e fit give dey always too big to let go.
Used when: Owomoyela: "No expect favor from stingy person"
Notes: From Part 6. The proverb call two animals wey their value clearly different, ram wey dey reproduce and the one wey dem don castrate wey value less, and e reject the two equally, wey be the joke: the stingy person complaint no really dey about the size of the gift, since no size go satisfy am. This entry and the two wey follow join reciprocity because stingy person, for the logic of this corpus, na person wey pull imself commot from exchange of favors completely, no be just person wey dey careful with money; check owe-wealth-poverty-money for proverbs about stingy people wey face wealth and spending instead of give-and-take of kindness.
Literal: "Kiní yìí ò pọ̀" this thing is-not plentiful; "ng ò lè fún ọ níbẹ̀" I cannot give you some-of-it: olúwarẹ̀ ahun ni its-owner is-a-miser.
Idiomatic: "'This thing is not plentiful; I cannot give you some of it': the person is a miser."
Meaning: To claim say wetin dey ground no reach to share when dem ask, dey show say the speaker na stingy person no matter how much e actually get for hand.
Used when: Owomoyela: "No matter how small wetin person get, make e ready to give out small for other people"
Notes: From Part 6. Owomoyela print am immediately beside the companion wey mirror am, entry 18 wey dey below, wey turn the exact same blame face the receiver instead of the giver; the way dem pair dem show say the proverb tradition dey hold both sides of exchange accountable instead of to just excuse the receiver by default.
Literal: "Kiní yìí tí o fún mi ò pọ̀" this thing that you gave me is-not plentiful: ahun ní ńjẹ́ bẹ́ẹ̀ a-miser is-who says that.
Idiomatic: "'This thing that you have given me is not plentiful': that statement indicates a greedy person."
Meaning: To complain say gift wey person receive small pass wetin e suppose be, na greed on its own, e no be fair complaint.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Person no suppose demand too much from people wey dey help am"
Notes: From Part 6, the direct companion to entry 17. Where that other proverb challenge the giver wey pretend say things no dey, this one challenge the receiver wey look down on real gift, and Owomoyela cross-reference the two clearly. Together, dem be the clearest evidence for the source material of this file say dem treat ungratefulness and stinginess as two sides of the same fault, depending on which side of the exchange person dey look am from.
Literal: "Mú wá, mú wá" bring bring lapá ẹyẹlé ńké is-what the-wing of-the-pigeon calls.
Idiomatic: "'Bring! Bring!' is the sound of the pigeon's wings."
Meaning: Some people whole character just dey face receiving, nothing dey face giving.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Some people only sabi how to take, dem no ever sabi how to give"
Notes: From Part 6. Di proverb turn di sound of pigeon wingbeat, wey be ordinary noise wey no get meaning on im own, to demand, by hearing am as repeated Yorùbá words. Owomoyela record another related proverb about di Ọ̀yọ́ court special command say na "Bring" instead of "Take," wey dem explain say "e good make person dey give as e dey receive," and dis make di pigeon one-way cry be like smaller, individual version of di same complain about people wey dey take without completing di exchange.
Literal: Ọtí gbélé ahun wine stays-in-the-home of-a-miser ó kan it turns-sour.
Idiomatic: "Wine stays in the home of the miser until it goes sour."
Meaning: Stingy person prefer make better thing spoil without using am pass make e share am, and di thing go still waste either way.
Used when: Owomoyela: "Di stingy person prefer make things spoil pass make e share dem with others"
Notes: From Part 6. E close di file on di same note wey di wealth file miser proverbs strike (see owe-wealth-poverty-money entry 37, about how di stingy person own pocket go eventually force di spending wey e no go gree do with im mind): withholding dey shown here no be as prudence but as loss wey go still happen anyway, only say nobody else benefit from am first. When you read am against entry 13 ungratefulness-as-robbery, di two proverbs frame di failure of reciprocity from opposite ends: one mention di receiver wey take without thank you, di other mention di giver wey no go give at all, and none of dem dey come out of di exchange better.
Literal: Bí Eégún ńlá bá ní if the-big masquerade says òhun ò rí gọ̀ǹtọ̀ it does-not see the-small-masquerade, gọ̀ǹtọ̀ náà a ní the-small-masquerade too will-say òhun ò rí Eégún ńlá it does-not see the-big-masquerade.
Idiomatic: "If a big masquerade claims it doesn't see the smaller masquerade, the small masquerade will also claim it doesn't see the big masquerade."
Meaning: Salahu-Deen and Ọlawale, quoting their informant J. A. Bawa: "If big man no respect people wey dey lower pass am, people wey dey lower go, in turn, refuse to give am im respect"
Used when: Di authors explain am as proverb about di necessity of reciprocal respect between people wey no dey di same status, wey dem apply for their article to di relationship between teacher and students .
Notes: Dis entry no come from Owomoyela and e stand separate from di rest of di file based on dat one: di source print di Yorùbá with full tone marks, attributed am to one living informant wey get name, J. A. Bawa, wey dem interview for Malete, Kwara State, for January 2025, instead of Owomoyela fieldwork wey no get date. Im subject na reciprocal respect and acknowledgment across status difference instead of gratitude for favor wey person receive, wey be related but different sense of reciprocity from di rest of dis file entries; dem include am because na di only usable peer-reviewed academic text on Yorùbá reciprocity wey search bring out, and because im claim, say if person deny another person respect e go lose di respect wey dem suppose give am in return, dey squarely inside dis file theme even though im idiom na masquerade instead of favor. Confidence level for dis entry: medium, wey reflect say na single informant source am and say e dey inside education-pedagogy article instead of proverb-focused study.
Di smallness na di finding on im own. Twenty-one proverbs na real number based on record wey dem search well, no be say na insufficient effort cause am: Owomoyela six-part organizing scheme, wey dem faithfully reproduce across di other files in dis batch, simply no get any section titled around gratitude or reciprocity di way e get for humility, for consistency, or for caution. Di nearest place, Part 6, "On consideration, kindness, and thoughtfulness," dey organized around di person wey dey do kindness, no be di person wey dey receive or repay am. Dis one produce real skew for wetin survive di search: proverbs wey dey tell giver make e no expect thanks (entries 1 to 3), proverbs wey dey warn giver say kindness fit backfire (entries 9 to 15), and proverbs wey dey mention how miser fail to give at all (entries 16 to 20), but na only one proverb, entry 13, wey state di receiver obligation directly by name. Any collection wey dem build to catalogue Yorùbá moral vocabulary from di giver point of view go always produce dis kind shape; e no mean say Yorùbá speech no get plenty things to talk about ingratitude, but only say dis particular sourced digitization no preserve much of am as separate category.
Where di proverbs talk, dem hold two claims in real tension. Entries 5, 6, and 13 state or imply confident law: dem dey repay kindness, dem dey repay wickedness, and to withhold thanks dey comparable to theft. Entries 9 to 12 and 14 state di opposite experience just as plainly: favors dey turn to mud, kindness dey bring trouble only to giver, excess generosity dey cause enmity instead of gratitude. Owomoyela collection no resolve dis one, and dis file no resolve am either. A Yorùbá speaker wey dey find proverb about particular act of kindness for get di two positions available and for choose di one wey fit di occasion, wey be di same interpretive caution wey di sibling files for dis corpus dey apply throughout: proverb na tool wey dem dey select case by case, no be clause inside settled doctrine.
Di animal case-dem (entry 9 reach 11) dey work as named precedent wey person fit point to, no be just abstract tins. Di baldness of vulture, di hornbill goiter, and how Agbe take spoil for Ọ̀fà, dem treat each of dem like specific example wey person fit cite di way lawyer dey cite case, complete with place names. Di fact say warning about to help person carry dis kind plenty specific details for story, while matching story about gratitude almost no carry anything inside di materials wey dem search here, dey agree with di bigger finding of dis file: di tradition wey dem preserve for dis record talk plenty pass about di danger of to give person something pass di duty to show gratitude when person receive favor.
Di only extra source wey dem see outside Owomoyela confirm di same pattern from another angle. Entry 21, wey be di only academic text wey dem fit use after serious search for scholarship on dis topic, no really dey about favor at all; na about mutual respect between people wey no get di same status, wey one fieldworker collect when e dey ask about education instead of kindness. Di fact say search wey dem direct specifically to gratitude and reciprocity scholarship bring out only one proverb wey dey close to di topic, instead of plenty proverbs on top di main topic, na extra proof say academic literature wey dey ground on top Yorùbá proverbs never really cover dis topic well, no matter how e dey important for everyday Yorùbá talk.
Fifty-eight Yorùbá proverbs on character, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Forty-eight Yorùbá proverbs on the ọmọlúàbí ideal, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Sourced Yorùbá proverbs about telling the truth, the mechanics of lying and self-deception, and the value placed on a person whose word is reliable.
Forty-three Yorùbá proverbs on sùúrù, patience, presented with the original, a literal gloss, a named translation, and the situation each is spoken in.
Fifty-five Yorùbá proverbs on pride, arrogance, humility, and the limits of what a person can know about themselves, each given with the original, a literal gloss, and a named translation.
Thirteen sourced Yorùbá proverbs on shame, disgrace and reputation, presented with the original, a literal gloss, and a named translation, honestly reflecting how thin this theme is in the digitised record available to this corpus.