- English translation
Whoever takes a hard look at his own situation ends up with a troubled mind.
- Literal wording
Whoever saw his own state, his mind became occupied.
- Meaning and lesson
At its core, the saying links self-knowledge with unease. Once a person stops and measures where he actually stands, the weight of what he finds, whether needs, faults, or uncertainties, crowds his thoughts and leaves little room for calm.
Read the other way round, it suggests that everyday composure rests partly on not looking too closely. In a religious framing, being spared a full reckoning of one's plight can count as a divine mercy rather than a flaw, since unrelieved awareness would be hard to bear.
- When it is used
Suitable for remarking that peace of mind often depends on not dwelling on one's own difficulties, or for explaining why someone who has just faced the plain facts of his life now seems preoccupied and burdened.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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