- English translation
Anyone who puts a rope around their own neck will find many others to lead them by it.
- Literal wording
Whoever ties a rope around their neck will find a thousand people to pull them.
- Meaning and lesson
The proverb rebukes someone who creates the conditions for their own degradation, giving others an opening to direct or humiliate them. Its figurative rope image concerns exposure to control or loss of dignity, not a literal act of self-harm.
It can warn against yielding so much authority that others can dictate one's actions or treat one without respect. The saying strongly emphasizes the choice that creates such vulnerability, rather than only those who impose it, and may therefore sound harsh where coercion or abuse is involved.
- When it is used
Used as a stern warning or reproach when someone accepts an arrangement seen as leaving them open to control or humiliation. It may describe a perceived surrender of dignity or independence, but should be used cautiously: its blaming emphasis can be inappropriate for someone facing coercion or abuse.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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