A cat may look at a king.

Even someone of low standing may look at a person of great power. High rank does not make a person too important to be seen by others.

The proverb challenges excessive deference. It treats an ordinary glance as harmless, rather than as a privilege that belongs only to a powerful person's equals.

Use it when someone suggests that an ordinary person has no right even to look at someone important. It offers a gently defiant response to that concern about rank, without implying permission to intrude.