This Igbo Proverb Teaches Us a Deep Truth About Self-Actualization
"Na osha di na Mba ka a na-akpata nku Mba" – “It is from the bush or forest in the land/community that the firewood of that land is fetched.”
"Nku di na Mba na-eghelu Mba nni" – “It is the firewood in the land that cooks the food of that land.”
These two proverbs might seem simple, but they carry eye opening wisdom that speaks directly to one of the most important truths of life: Your savior will not come from outside. Everything you need to grow, succeed, and become who you’re meant to be is already within you and around you.
Let’s unpack this.
🌿 The Treasure is Within
When the proverb says, “It is from the forest in the land that the firewood of that land is fetched,” it’s reminding us that every community, every person, must look inward for the resources they need. You don’t go looking for firewood in a foreign bush when you have a bush of your own. Why? Because ancestral wisdom teaches us that the land knows what it needs. The firewood that burns best for your fire is the one that was grown in your soil.
Applied to life, this means:
The solutions you seek are not always “out there.”
The validation, peace, or direction you crave isn’t sitting in someone else’s hands.
The true materials for your growth, your talents, your Chi, your ancestral backing, are already inside you or around you, waiting to be recognized and put to use.
🍲 The Firewood That Cooks the Food
The second proverb, “Nku di na Mba na-eghelu Mba nni”, brings the lesson home even more. It says, your nourishment, your actual progress, comes from the effort and energy within your space.
If you wait for someone else to build your fire, you might starve.
Self-actualization starts when you recognize that you are your own firewood. You are your own raw material. The more you search outward for someone to "fix" your life, the further you drift from your real source of strength.
🔥 What Does This Mean Practically?
Stop waiting to be discovered. Start developing your gifts and passions right where you are.
Stop believing others are more qualified to live your dreams than you are. Start walking your path, even if it’s one small step at a time.
Stop looking for external permission to become who you’re meant to be. Start aligning with your Chi and your inner truth.
You don’t need to be like anyone else. You need to become fully and completely yourself, that is the path to real fulfillment.
To Sum It Up
Igbo are mirrors, designed to help us see ourselves clearly. This one in particular is saying:
You already have what it takes. It’s time to start using your own internal resoruces.
Self-actualization is about becoming who you already are, more fully, more bravely, and more intentionally.
So today, pause and ask yourself:
🌿 What ‘firewood’ am I ignoring in my own life?
🔥 What’s already inside me that I need to recognize and use?
Because trust me—no one is coming to save you. But the beautiful truth is: you were never helpless in the first place.
