proverb · Words worth keeping
It is annoying to have someone go on talking when you are busy interrupting.
It is annoying to have someone go on talking when you are busy interrupting.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Being annoyed at speech while busy interrupting exposes the interrupter’s own inconsiderate conduct. The joke reverses who appears responsible for the inconvenience.
What the words are saying
The irony treats another person’s continued speech as an obstacle to the speaker’s interruption. A useful reading can prompt attention to turn-taking without assuming every interruption is rude; clarification, accessibility and urgent concerns can call for different arrangements. The particular context still matters.
Everyday example
A participant notices they are demanding room to interrupt and lets the other person finish before responding.
When to use it
Use it to explain the ironic reversal and consider mutual listening.
What it does not mean
No universal ban on interruption or complete judgment of a participant’s motives 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 49; PDF page 13; collection label: Amish
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Amish