Truth

Òtíto | Eziokwu

1. Being truthful is the greatest character trait (Òtíto lolórí ìwà). When you are so truthful that your associates can take your word to the bank, you have a lot of social currency. 
2. To speak and it is found to be correct is the honor of a truthful person, and it also brings honor to an Omoluabi (Ka sọrọ ká bá bẹ́ niyi olooto, òun náà sì tún ni ìyí Ọmọlúàbí).
3. Yes is good to speak the truth because the truth is life [Eziokwu bụ ndụ]. Speaking the truth is good for peace of mind and well-being, things that money cannot buy.
4. Truth comes with peace of mind and general wellbeing. (Òtító máa ń mú ìfọ̀kànbalẹ̀ wá àti àlàáfíà ara). while lies cause internal disharmony. 
5. He who speaks the truth sleeps well, but the liar stays on guard [Onye na-ekwu eziokwu na-ehi ụra nke ọma, mana onye asị na-eche nche], living in constant anxiety, trying to remember what story they told to whom.
6. Truth is good, but it hurts [Eziokwu dị mma, ma ọ na-egbu mgbu].
7. The truth is unbreakable. Even if it is very thin, a rope made with the truth never breaks (Ì báà tínrín, okùn òtítọ́ kì í já). 
8. The truth never misses the way; while the lie uses its head to sustain an injury (Òtíto kì í ṣìnà; iro ní ń fi orí gbá ọgbẹ́).
9. For truth is painful to the ear [Eziokwu na-afụ ụfụ na ntị]. It can be deeply distressing and difficult to accept, even though it is necessary.
10. Truth is as bitter in the mouth as bitterleaf (Òtítọ́ korò ní lẹ́nu bí ewúro). 
11. Truth is bitter, but if it can be swallowed, it does the body a lot of good (Òtítọ́ korò, ṣùgbọ́n bí a bá gbé itọ́ ọ rẹ̀ mì, a máa ṣe ara lóore). 
12. Sometimes the truth is conveyed with humor or delivered with sarcasm. Truthful words often sound like nonsense (Òtítọ́ ọ̀rọ̀ bí ìsọkúsọ ni ó máa ń rí) but if you ponder over it, you will see it as it really is.
13. It is better to speak the truth and die than to tell a lie and live (Ká sọ́tìtọ́ ká kú, yá ju ká purọ́ ká wàláàyè lọ).
14. A person who stands firmly by the truth is often unpopular. The world rejects the truth (Ayékòótọ́).
15. The truthful walk can be a lonely one. It can be socially isolating. Truth gets to the marketplace and finds no buyer; yet people pay cash-in-hand to purchase lies (Òtító d’ọjà ó kù tà; owó lọwọ́ là ńra èké).
16. The truthful person in a town is the enemy of the town, and he cannot even find a single penny to show for it (Olóòótọ́ ìlú ni ọ̀tá ìlú, tí kò rí oókan fise) 
17. He who speaks the truth earns the respect of the community [Onye kwuru eziokwu, ọha na-asọpụrụ ya]. 
18. While lying isolates. A liar holds a secret meeting with themselves [Onye na-agha asị na-eso onwe ya agba izu] because they cannot trust anyone else with their secrets, so they end up lonely and constantly paranoid.
19. The truth may be circumstantial. If everyone looks deeply into themselves, they will realize that the world accommodates each person entirely differently. (Bí olúkúlùkù bá bọ́ sínú awọ ara rẹ̀, a rí i pé ọ̀tọ̀ọ̀tọ̀ ni ayé gba kálukú sínú).
20. Truth may be subjected to bias. People can even try to gaslight you to enforce their preferred “truth”. It is not that the eye did not see that it looks like that, yet the sibling says it does not look like that (O jú kò rí bẹ́ẹ̀ kọ́ lọmọ ìyá rẹ̀ ńpè ní kò rí bẹ́ẹ̀), denying the evidence to protect their loved one.
21. There may be different ways to look at a situation.  If one argument stands, a counter-perspective may exist. Wherever something stands, something else stands beside it [Ife kwulu, ife akwụdebe]. 
22. However, be consistent. Why claim that you saw something, then turn around and deny seeing it? (A kì í rí i ká tún sọ pé a ò ri mo).
23. Deliver your truth with compassion because life is unpredictable.The ground is slippery; tread carefully (Ilẹ̀ ń yọ̀, ẹ tẹ́ jẹ́jẹ). You may also need such kindness some day.
24. Why deliberately acquire a bad reputation when you know you will eventually have to pay a heavy price for it. For what is the truth in buying wickedness on credit to hang around one’s own neck (Kì í ní òtítọ́ nínú ká gba àwìn ìkà sí ọrùn).
25. If you have nothing good to say, it is better to keep quiet. Be measured with your words. Too much talk brings forth lies (Oro púpo, iro ló ḿmú wá).
26. Be consistent with your truth. If you don’t agree with something, let your disapproval be uniform. Why practice double standards? If you accept it from a bush rat, then be ready to accept it from a house rat (Gbà lenu asín ni gbà lenu èkúté). 
27. Those in your inner circle should not be afraid to speak candidly with you. Whoever qualifies to be a member of your household should qualify to speak frankly with you (A kì í tóó bánigbé ká má tòó oro-o bánisọ) because your success is their success. You will either sink or swim together.
28. If two siblings come out of a meeting room smiling, know that they have not told each other the truth (Bí ọmọ-ìyá méjì bá jáde nínú yàrá tí wọ́n ń rẹ́rìn-ín, kí o mọ̀ pé wọn kò sọ òtítọ́ fún ara wọn). Whereas if they come out frowning,  they might have just told each other the home truth.
29. Why withhold the truth from those who will bail you out when you are in need? Why hide from the person who has your back when the chips are down? A dead person does not hide their body from the person who will bury them (Oku kii farapamo fun eni ti o maa sin i). 
30. The issue that we said the father should not hear of, it is that same father that would resolve it (Oro ti a sope ki baba ma gbo, baba naa yo pari e).
31. But be wise in exposing your vulnerability to just anybody. Remember that though sunlight is a disinfectant, it is not all clothes that you spread outside in the sun to dry (Gbogbo aṣọ kọ́ là ń sá lóòrùn). Some may get bleached by sunlight. Know what to disclose and what to withhold. 
32. It is best to live a truthful life rather than be pretentious because once you get caught in the webs of your lies, you will be demystified. The leopard is captured in the open. See clearly as it happens: it can’t be hidden (Gbangba á dẹkùn, kedereé be e wò: oro ìkoko ò sí níbe).
33. Free your mind and be unapologetically yourself at dawn or dusk. For the person with tattered clothes dances under the shadow of the night, forgetting that daybreak will come the next day (Alakisa n jo loru, bó pẹ titi ilẹ a mọ lọla). Will the person go and hide when day breaks? 
34. The truth survives pretenders. Relax and watch how a two-faced person operates; stay hidden and hear how a backstabber talks. (Fehìntì kí o rí ìṣe èké; farapamo kí o gbo bí aṣeni tin so oro). 
35. A lie says “don’t let anybody hear this” while the truth says “verify this from anyone” (Iro ni ‘‘Má je ki enìkan ó gbo’’; òóto ni ‘‘Ẹni o rí o bi’’). 
36. Politicians, public figures and many others lie to keep up appearances or to exploit people. However, the truth unravels the baggage of the wicked (Òtíto ní ńtú ẹrù ìkà pale), making everything as clear as day. 
37. Where the truth is suppressed, there must be some underlying bribery (Ikpe mara eziokwu na aka azụ dị ya) or intimidation going on.
38. The truth is liberating; it frees you from guilt. When a thief hears their name being called, they don’t wait to find out what it is about (Olè kì í gbo orúkọ e kó dúró). Rather, they will start running out of a guilty conscience and the fear of being caught. 
39. The truth frees you from the fear of your lie being discovered in future. Why be a liar?  Liars are without honor, their end is usually shameful (Òpùrọ́ kì í níyì, ẹ̀tẹ́ nìgbẹ̀hìn rẹ̀). 
40. A person full of lies, in the end nobody will believe them even when they are speaking the truth [Onye asị mesia, ọ dịghị onye ga-ekwenye ya ma ọ na-ekwu eziokwu].
41. A liar might get away with deceit multiple times, but a single day of exposure ruins them completely. He who licks oil once has licked it twice; but the day he is caught, the whole community will know [Onye racha mmanụ otu ugboro, ọ rachaala abụọ; mana ụbọchị a ga-ejide ya bụ ọha].
42. Why hide a truth that is obvious? You cannot hide a child born from your own womb and claim they do not exist [A gaghị ezo nwa m mụrụ n’afọ kwuo na ọ nọghị ebe ahụ]. Trying to lie about undeniable facts only makes the liar look foolish.
43. The guilty are always afraid. They are overly defensive like the spinach seller who says theirs is not from the refuse dump (Ó ń fura bí ẹlẹ́fọ̀ tẹtẹ́, tó ń sọ wípé ti òun kọ́ kì í ṣe ti àkìtàn).
44. For fufu cannot be hastily eaten in secret. It the person who eats fùfú whose body becomes uncomfortable (Ẹni tó bá jẹ fùfú ni ara ń fún) out of the fear of being exposed.
45. A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing [Awọ adịghị agba ọsọ ehihie na-efu]. There is always a guilty reason behind sudden, strange behavior.
46. Truth is like a pregnancy; it cannot be covered or hidden with the hands [Eziokwu dị ka afọ ime, a dịghị ekpuchi ya aka] it will eventually be revealed. 
47. Also, lies cannot be hidden forever, and just like banana peels, they will eventually be discovered. For no matter how deep you dive into water to eat banana, the skin will surface (Ka isina maya n’ala mmiri ga rie unere, emechaa ugbo ya ga ese n’elu). 
48. Even if a lie becomes as big as an iroko tree, it eventually collapses. (bí irọ̀ bá tóbi bí ìrókò, wíwó ní í wó)
49. For even though the truth is bitter, and a lie is like a delicious soup (Òtíto korò; bí omi tooro niro rí), time will eventually tell.
50. The simple truth catches up with the lies. Lies can only last for a while but the truth endures. Truth doesn’t die just for a lie to be crowned as king (Òtíto kì í kú ká fi iro jọba). No, the truth lives forever. The truth always resurrects and takes the crown. 
51. If a lie has a head start of twenty years, within just one day, the truth will catch up with it (Bí irọ́ bá lọ lógún ọdún, ọjọ́ kan ṣoṣo ni òtítọ́ yóò bá a). 
52. Truth will always prevail over lies. No matter how long a lie lasts or how well it is hidden, the truth will eventually triumph and come to light. Truth is what will rise above falsehood (Òtítọ́ lo máa lékè irọ́)
53. You may argue that other people have told lies to save themselves out of tricky situations. Yes, they have. However, the end will tell ( ìgbẹ́hìn a rò).
54. Why ruin yourself trying to impress?  When a crisis hits, the crowd will vanish, and you will suffer. Remember the warning of the drummers to the reckless masquerade: When things get completely bad, only you will remain (Tí ó bá burú tán, ìwọ nìkan ni yíò kù). They will leave the performer in the costume alone to face the consequences.
55. Noisemakers and distractors should stop trying to beat the drum of denial when the truth is revealed. When the truth is spoken, the drummer falls silent. Failing to align with the truth, the drummer may be disgraced (Ti wọn bá sọ òtító, onílù á sì dákẹ́, àfàìtọ̀ onílù le kàn àbùkù).
56. So, keep your eyes on the ball, and keep your peace. A person who holds the staff of truth will return home safely [Onye ji ọfọ ga-ala].

Bible verses to ponder

• The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy – Proverbs 12:22
• Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. – Ephesians 4:25
• Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. – Proverbs 12:19
• These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts. – Zechariah 8:16