- English translation
A person without shame will do whatever they please.
- Literal wording
Whoever has no shame does whatever he desires.
- Meaning and lesson
The proverb warns that shame or modesty can restrain conduct when formal rules do not. Someone who lacks that inner check may feel free to pursue any desire, regardless of how others are affected.
It is a harsh moral rebuke for brazen behavior that disregards decency or causes harm. Its appeal to shame reflects a norm of social and ethical restraint, not a judgment to apply to harmless nonconformity.
- When it is used
Use it to condemn repeated, conspicuously brazen conduct that disregards decency or harms others. Because it can sound severe when directed at a person, avoid using it for ordinary confidence, independence, or harmless departures from social expectations.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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