“The Man Who Could Never Have Enough: A Rwandan Cautionary Tale”

Sebgugugu has only one cow—but when a bird’s song promises him a hundred more, he makes a fatal choice that sets him on a downward spiral of greed and loss. Despite his wife’s wisdom and repeated warnings, he kills his family’s only source of milk, believing a divine promise is at hand. But the hundred cows never come.

What follows is a heartbreaking pattern: again and again, Imana the Creator takes pity on this foolish man and provides miraculously—cattle herded by a crow, a magical vine bearing endless fruit, a rock that flows with milk and grain. And again and again, Sebgugugu’s impatience and greed destroy each gift, as he refuses to accept the simple abundance he’s been given and always demands more, faster, better.

This devastating folktale from Rwanda explores the destructive nature of greed, the wisdom of contentment, and the tragic consequences of refusing to listen—whether to your wife’s counsel or to divine instruction. It’s a story that asks: when is enough truly enough? And what happens when we can’t stop ourselves from breaking what sustains us?

A sobering reminder that sometimes the greatest wealth is knowing when to stop reaching for more.

https://mythopia.io/story/1269/sebgugugu-the-greedy-man-an-african-folktale-about-greed-and-loss