All cats are gray at night
Meaning: When darkness obscures differences, all things appear equal or indistinguishable.
Origin: John Heywood's 1546 collection has "When all candles be out, all cats be grey" — in the dark, differences of color vanish. It was often said with a wink, to suggest that looks matter little by night, and the same saying exists in French, German and Spanish.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: La nuit tous chats sont gris (literally: By night all cats are grey)
- Spanish: De noche los gatos todos son pardos (literally: At night all cats are grey)
- Japanese: 夜目遠目笠の内 (Yome tōme kasa no uchi) (literally: Seen at night, seen from afar, or seen under a hat)
- German: Bei Nacht sind alle Katzen grau (literally: At night all cats are gray)
More proverbs about Wisdom
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- A nod is as good as a wink — Can be understood without further explanation.
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- Bet the jockey, not the horse — Success depends on the skill and judgment of the person executing the plan, not the tools…
- Caesar's wife must be above suspicion — After the trial, Caesar divorced Pompeia, and when questioned said “my wife ought not eve…
- Can't live with them, can't live without them — Close relationships require tolerating incompatibility because isolation from others is u…
From our idioms
- يعمل من الحبة قبة (Ya'mal min al-ḥabba qubba) — To blow something tiny completely out of proportion.
- 马马虎虎 (Mǎmǎhūhū) — So-so; careless and only just passable.
- 拍马屁 (pāi mǎpì) — To flatter or suck up to someone.