Walls sink and dunghills rise.
Walls sink and dunghills rise.
Meaning in plain English
Positions of apparent strength can decline while disregarded things rise. The wall and dunghill contrast challenges confidence in a fixed hierarchy, without making lower status a sign of lesser human worth.
Example
A group reassesses an established method when a previously overlooked approach begins meeting its needs better.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The wall stands for something built up and established, while the dunghill is the less admired object that rises as the wall sinks. The reversal makes present position an uncertain guide to the future. In another setting, an established advantage can diminish while an overlooked option gains importance. Examine what is changing rather than relying only on a familiar ranking. This is a reading of the contrast, not a history of any particular society. The image should not be used to call people waste or to judge their worth by status.
When to use it
Use it to question whether an established ranking still fits changing circumstances.
Keep in mind
Status does not determine human worth; compare actual conditions without contempt for people in a lower position.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 193; Spanish section, paragraph 4029; source wording: Abajanse los adarves y alzanse los muladares.
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 ↗