- English translation
When a thorn pricks the rich man, the whole town is in an uproar; when a snake bites the poor man, they tell him: hush, not a word.
- Literal wording
The rich man, a thorn pricked him, the town became in a clamor; and the poor man, a snake nipped him, they said: be quiet, no talking.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying contrasts two kinds of harm. A trivial scratch on a rich person becomes a public event, with everyone fussing and making noise around him. A genuinely dangerous injury to a poor person draws no sympathy, and he is even told to keep his complaint to himself.
Its point is social injustice in the distribution of concern. Wealth earns a person attention, care, and a voice, while poverty brings neglect and enforced silence. The proverb exposes how communities measure pain by the standing of the sufferer rather than by how badly he has actually been hurt.
- When it is used
Say it when a minor complaint from someone wealthy or powerful sets everyone scrambling while a serious injury to someone poor is brushed aside or hushed. It suits bitter or wry comments on favoritism, unequal attention, and whose suffering is allowed to be voiced.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: When a thorn pricks the rich man, the whole town is in an uproar; when a snake bites the poor man, they tell him: hush, not a word.