None knows the weight of another's burden.

A hardship is felt most fully by the person living with it. Others may see the circumstances without grasping the effort or distress involved.

The proverb calls for humility when judging how someone bears a difficulty. What looks manageable from the outside may be much harder to carry.

Use it to discourage quick judgments about another person's response to hardship, or to encourage patience when the full extent of someone's worries or responsibilities is unclear.