proverb · Words worth keeping
For a man to live in peace, he must be blind, deaf, and dumb.
For a man to live in peace, he must be blind, deaf, and dumb.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Peace said to require being blind, deaf and dumb equates nonengagement with avoiding disturbance. The saying uses disability terms in a harsh image of withdrawing from what happens around oneself.
What the words are saying
A critical reading rejects disability being equated with ignorance or passivity. It also questions a peace that demands silence about harm. A useful interpretation can examine selective attention and unnecessary conflict while preserving awareness, questions and justified action; the line is not a description of disabled people.
Everyday example
A reader rejects the assumption that calm requires overlooking an unfair act or silencing its report.
When to use it
Use it critically without adopting disability stereotypes or imposed silence.
What it does not mean
No disability-based character claim or duty to ignore harm 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 520; PDF page 49; collection label: Persia/Iran
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Persia/Iran