- English translation
Even a sultan, for all the awe he inspires, gets insulted once he's gone.
- Literal wording
The sultan, with his awe, gets insulted in his absence.
- Meaning and lesson
No one escapes being talked about behind their back. If even a ruler, feared and respected to his face, is insulted once he is out of earshot, then ordinary people should expect the same.
The saying is offered as comfort to someone who has discovered they were badmouthed. It lessens the hurt by placing them in grand company and treating absent-party gossip as an unavoidable part of life rather than a personal humiliation. It consoles the person spoken about; it does not excuse the backbiter or defend the gossip.
- When it is used
Say it to a friend, relative, or colleague who is upset after learning that someone spoke badly of them while they were away. It works best as gentle, sympathetic reassurance in casual conversation, helping the listener shrug the insult off rather than dwell on it.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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