* Recognition of White Man's Power: Okonkwo acknowledges the white man's technological prowess (guns, medicine, etc.), which has given them significant power over the Igbo people. He sees the white man as capable of achieving things the Igbo cannot.
* Ambivalence: Okonkwo is deeply conflicted about the white man. He admires their power but also fears their influence and how it disrupts traditional Igbo life. He is aware that the white man's ways are "different" and threaten to change the Igbo culture that he holds dear.
* Irony and Foreshadowing: The statement is ironic because, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that the white man's cleverness is ultimately destructive to the Igbo community. Okonkwo's admiration for the white man's technology will ultimately lead to his own downfall and the collapse of Igbo society.
Essentially, Okonkwo is expressing a grudging respect for the white man's power, even as he recognizes the threat it poses to his own culture and way of life. His statement foreshadows the tragic consequences that await the Igbo people as a result of colonialism.