- English translation
A thousand other beards are no match for mine.
- Literal wording
A thousand beards, but not my beard.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying voices proud self-assertion after a person has been slighted, wronged, or treated dismissively. It rejects humiliation by insisting that the speaker’s worth and standing cannot be diminished.
The beard image symbolizes the speaker’s own stature and honor, not a general claim about beards. Its force is deliberately boastful: it answers injury with defiance and may sound resilient and dignified, but also confrontational.
- When it is used
Use it as a defiant reply when someone feels insulted, underestimated, or subjected to unfair treatment. It suits emphatic rhetorical speech and can sound proudly combative or provocative rather than modest, depending on tone.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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