When the belly is empty, the body becomes spirit; and when it is full, the spirit becomes body.
SaadiRead
A wise man among the ignorant is as a beautiful girl in the company of blind men.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Knowledge and wisdom can be unappreciated in the presence of ignorance.
This quote by Saadi highlights the idea that a wise individual may feel out of place or unvalued when surrounded by those who lack understanding or awareness. Just as a beautiful girl would not be recognized for her beauty by those who cannot see, a wise person may struggle to share their insights with those who cannot appreciate or comprehend them, suggesting the importance of an appropriate audience for wisdom.
Themes
WisdomIgnoranceUnderstandingValueKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech at a graduation ceremony to emphasize the importance of being in the right environment to share knowledge.
More from Saadi
All quotes βA friend whom you have been gaining during your whole life, you ought not to be displeased with in a moment. A stone is many years becoming a ruby - take care that you do not destroy it in an instant against another stone.
SaadiRead
The bad fortune of the good turns their faces up to heaven; the good fortune of the bad bows their heads down to the earth.
SaadiRead
However much you study, you cannot know without action. A donkey laden with books is neither an intellectual nor a wise man. Empty of essence, what learning has he whether upon him is firewood or book?
SaadiRead
Ants, fighting together, will vanquish the lion.
SaadiRead
An enemy to whom you show kindness becomes your friend, excepting lust, the indulgence of which increases its enmity.
SaadiRead
Similar quotes
You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It's their mistake, not my failing.
Richard P. FeynmanRead
They were beaten to start with. They were beaten when they took them from their farms and put them in the army. That is why the peasant has wisdom, because he is defeated from the start. Put him in power and see how wise he is.
Ernest HemingwayRead
If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. That is the lesson, and that lesson alone will save you a lot of grief.
Oprah WinfreyRead
Convince yourself that you are working in clay, not marble, on paper not eternal bronze: Let that first sentence be as stupid as it wishes.
Jacques BarzunRead
Successful givers secure their oxygen masks before coming to the assistance of others. Although their motives may be less purely altruistic, their actions prove more altruistic, because they give more.
Adam GrantRead
A traveler of taste will notice that the wise are polite all over the world, but the fool only at home.
Oliver GoldsmithRead