A cat may look at a king.
A cat may look at a king.
Meaning in plain English
A person of modest status can still take notice of someone powerful. Rank should not be used to deny ordinary attention or dignity to those below it.
Example
A new volunteer asks about a decision made by a senior organiser rather than accepting that their junior role alone makes the question improper.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The cat and king bring together a small creature and an elevated figure, yet the cat’s act is simply looking. The saying makes that ordinary act a challenge to exaggerated deference: importance does not put someone beyond being seen. In a human setting, it may answer a demand that less powerful people avert their attention or behave as though they have no standing at all. It does not establish a legal entitlement to enter private places or intrude on others. The point is about status and ordinary respect, with reasonable boundaries applying to both powerful and less powerful people.
When to use it
Use it when someone’s rank is being used to dismiss another person’s ordinary interest or dignity.
Keep in mind
Equal dignity does not remove reasonable privacy or access boundaries; this is not a claim about legal rights.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-03. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 210 · Cat
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗