proverb · Words worth keeping
Explaining something to an ignorant person is harder than making a camel jump over a ditch.
Explaining something to an ignorant person is harder than making a camel jump over a ditch.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Explaining to someone described as ignorant compared with making a camel jump exaggerates the difficulty of communication. The saying treats understanding as a demanding undertaking.
What the words are saying
A critical reading does not endorse fixed inability or an insult toward learners. Background, language, access and how an explanation is offered can matter. A useful application adapts instruction and asks what is unclear; the animal image supplies no handling method or measured comparison.
Everyday example
A teacher changes an explanation and invites questions rather than blaming the learner for needing another approach.
When to use it
Use it critically to discuss accessible explanation without belittling learners.
What it does not mean
No animal-training procedure, permanent ignorance or measured difficulty ranking is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 511; PDF page 47; collection label: Ottoman Empire/Turkey
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Ottoman Empire/Turkey