- English translation
Don't rest easy about a woman even at her prayers, about a horse even when it stands before you, or about the sun even once it has gone down.
- Literal wording
Do not feel safe with a woman when she prays, nor with horses when they come into view, nor with the sun when it turns away.
- Meaning and lesson
Each clause picks a moment when caution seems needless and insists on keeping it: a praying woman should still be screened and watched, a horse before you may bolt and should be hobbled, and the sun still calls for protection even after it has set.
Together the three exaggerated cases make one point: never relax your guard. The first clause records a historical patriarchal attitude that treats a woman's devotion as no reason to stop watching her, likening her to a tethered animal; it is described here, not endorsed.
- When it is used
Quote it to illustrate a mindset of unrelenting vigilance, or when examining how traditional sayings justified controlling women. Frame it critically as a historical attitude, and never apply it to real people or offer it as practical advice.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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