When the belly is empty, the body becomes spirit; and when it is full, the spirit becomes body.
SaadiRead
A wise man among the ignorant is as a beautiful girl in the company of blind men.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Knowledge and wisdom can be unappreciated in the presence of ignorance.
This quote by Saadi highlights the idea that a wise individual may feel out of place or unvalued when surrounded by those who lack understanding or awareness. Just as a beautiful girl would not be recognized for her beauty by those who cannot see, a wise person may struggle to share their insights with those who cannot appreciate or comprehend them, suggesting the importance of an appropriate audience for wisdom.
Themes
WisdomIgnoranceUnderstandingValueKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech at a graduation ceremony to emphasize the importance of being in the right environment to share knowledge.
More from Saadi
All quotes βA friend whom you have been gaining during your whole life, you ought not to be displeased with in a moment. A stone is many years becoming a ruby - take care that you do not destroy it in an instant against another stone.
SaadiRead
The bad fortune of the good turns their faces up to heaven; the good fortune of the bad bows their heads down to the earth.
SaadiRead
However much you study, you cannot know without action. A donkey laden with books is neither an intellectual nor a wise man. Empty of essence, what learning has he whether upon him is firewood or book?
SaadiRead
Ants, fighting together, will vanquish the lion.
SaadiRead
An enemy to whom you show kindness becomes your friend, excepting lust, the indulgence of which increases its enmity.
SaadiRead
Similar quotes
On good days, if you trust life, life has to answer you.
Albert CamusRead
To develop patience, you need someone who willfully hurts you. Such people give us real opportunities to practice tolerance. They test our inner strength in a way that even our guru cannot. Basically, patience protects us from being discouraged.
Dalai LamaRead
Sometimes, the most profound of awakenings come wrapped in the quietest of moments.
Stephen CraneRead
Keep my word positive. Words become my behaviors. Keep my behaviors positive. Behaviors become my habits. Keep my habits positive. Habits become my values. Keep my values positive. Values become my destiny.
Mahatma GandhiRead
A misery is not to be measure from the nature of the evil but from the temper of the sufferer.
Joseph AddisonRead
The most common cause of fear of old age is associated with the possibility of poverty.
Napoleon HillRead