proverb · Legacy record
Running away can be shameful, but not when it evades annihilation.
Running away can be shameful, but not when it evades annihilation.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Running away exempted from shame when it avoids annihilation distinguishes withdrawal from a simplistic charge of cowardice. The saying gives preservation a place in judgment.
What the words are saying
The image is not a physical safety procedure or prediction that retreat will work. A useful nonliteral reading considers whether continuing serves a purpose and respects people choosing distance from harm. It does not require proving extreme danger before a boundary is legitimate or blame someone unable to leave.
Everyday example
Someone respects a colleague’s withdrawal from a harmful situation without demanding a demonstration of courage.
When to use it
Use it to question shame attached to withdrawal without prescribing a safety tactic.
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What it does not mean
No safe outcome or requirement to endure lesser 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 937; PDF page 82; collection label: Transylvania Province of Romania
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Transylvania Province of Romania