What the eye sees not, the heart rues not.
Meaning: Ignorance of misfortune shields us from suffering its emotional weight.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and Italian
- French: Ce qu’”oe]il ne voit, au c”oe]ur ne deult (literally: What the eye sees not the heart rues not)
- Spanish: Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente (literally: Eyes that do not see, heart that does not feel)
- Japanese: 知らぬが仏 (Shiranu ga hotoke) (literally: Not knowing is Buddha)
- German: Was ich nicht weiß, macht mich nicht heiß (literally: What I don't know doesn't make me hot)
- Italian: Occhio che non vede, cuor che non duole (literally: What the eye sees not the heart rues not)
More proverbs about Human Nature
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- When the tree falls every man runs with his hatchet. — Misfortune creates opportunity for opportunists to exploit the vulnerable.
- Fools make feasts, and wise men eat them. — Foolish spenders throw lavish parties while prudent people enjoy free entertainment witho…
- Love and lordship like no fellowship. — Deep affection and authority cannot coexist in the same relationship without one corrupti…
- No man loves his fetters, though of gold. — Even luxurious constraints remain oppressive; material comfort cannot compensate for lost…
- No man can flay a stone. — Attempting the impossible wastes effort; some things resist all effort by their very natu…
From our tongue twisters
- Chi è Ciccio Capece? Ciccio Capece è un capocaccia che caccia con la cacciaballa. — A 'c/ci/ccia' onslaught — Italian's hard and soft c in the same sentence, non-stop.
- O rato roeu a roupa do rei de Roma; a rainha com raiva roeu o resto. — An unstoppable 'r' trill drill — every key word begins or ends with the Portuguese r.
- Um tigre, dois tigres, três tigres tristes triscam trigo num trigal. — A 'tr' cluster drill that adds a sad adjective to make the alliteration worse.