- English translation
Were the camel ever to catch sight of its own hump, it would topple over and snap its neck.
- Literal wording
If the camel saw his hump, he would fall down and his neck would break.
- Meaning and lesson
The camel carries its hump everywhere yet never sees it. The proverb suggests that if a person could truly see their own defects, the sight would be so repugnant that they would collapse and die of disgust. The fatal fall is deliberate exaggeration; it does not describe any real danger in recognizing one's faults.
In practice the saying mocks people who notice everyone's faults but stay blind to their own, implying their composure depends on that blindness. In Arabic the two halves end in rhyming words, ḥadabtuh (his hump) and raqabtuh (his neck), which makes the line easy to remember.
- When it is used
Use it when someone harshly criticizes others while overlooking glaring flaws of their own, or as a wry general remark that people rarely see their own failings. It suits informal talk and gentle teasing, but aimed at a particular person it can sound like a pointed accusation of self-blindness.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic proverb
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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