Walls have ears [Ògiri ní etí.] - Yoruba Proverb • Quote

“ Walls have ears [Ògiri ní etí.] ” - Yoruba Proverb -

Quote Interpretations:

• Be Careful With What You Say — You Don’t Know Who Is Listening: Conversations—especially secret or sensitive ones—can easily be overheard by unintended listeners. For example, two colleagues privately gossip about their boss in a hallway, unaware that the boss is standing behind a half-open door. The conversation gets back to management. Succinctly, "the walls had ears."

• Information Spreads Even When You Think It Won’t — Nothing said in private is ever completely safe; words travel. People talk, and secrets leak. For example, a friend confides in another about a personal issue “in confidence.” The friend doesn’t tell anyone directly—but shares a vague story with someone else, who puts the pieces together. Soon the whole group knows.

• Hidden Systems or Observers Are Always Present — In modern settings, this can refer to surveillance, technology, or unseen observers monitoring conversations—CCTV, phone or audio recordings, online tracking, etc. For instance, someone complains loudly in a taxi, curses and abuses a dictator or an intolerant government in power, forgetting that the vehicle has a recording camera and audio installed. Later, security agencies review the footage. In essence, the unseen “ears in the walls” capture everything.

- TemQBS’ Food for Thought