Bantu Proverb

Personhood Emerges Through Relationship and Community

Moving from moral vision to everyday formation, the proverb fits the observable way people grow: infants learn language, emotion, and trust through caregivers, and later refine their character through peers and mentors. Even basic traits—confidence, empathy, patience—are practiced in interaction, not in solitude. A simple anecdote captures this: a child praised for sharing begins to see themselves as “someone who is generous,” while a child routinely ignored may struggle to feel real or worthy. In that sense, personhood is partly composed of the social feedback that teaches us what kind of person we are becoming. [...]

Act Wisely and You Will Become Wise - Bantu Proverb

It emphasizes the importance of learning through experience. Rather than only acquiring knowledge from books or others, true wisdom is gained by using practical, real-life experiences to make well-informed decisions. [...]