proverb · Words worth keeping
Who draws his sword against his prince must throw away the scabbard.
Who draws his sword against his prince must throw away the scabbard.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying pictures a sword drawn against a prince with its scabbard discarded. It presents defiance as a commitment that leaves no easy return to putting the weapon away.
What the words are saying
Throw away makes the break seem decisive. As an analogy, some confrontations are imagined as ending the possibility of retreat or reconciliation. A responsible reading questions that absoluteness and considers peaceful alternatives. It does not establish historical conduct, a law or an instruction to confront authority violently.
Everyday example
A reader discusses how a story portrays an irreversible break while looking for alternatives the image leaves out.
When to use it
Use it to examine a dramatic image of commitment and lost retreat.
What it does not mean
The metaphor is not an endorsement of violence or proof that reconciliation is impossible.
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
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1575 · Sword
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English