Meaning & Analysis
A person is deemed foolish if he never experiences a touch of melancholy or thoughtful sadness each day.
Insights
Reflection and Depth
The proverb implies that occasional melancholy is a sign of depth, wisdom, or self-awareness—one who never feels it is shallow or unreflective.
Emotional Balance
It suggests that true sanity and maturity require a balance of moods; perpetual cheerfulness or denial of sorrow may be more foolish than embracing life’s somber realities.
Historical and Cultural Context
In early modern Europe, melancholy was often associated with thoughtfulness, creativity, and philosophical insight—qualities admired in the wise. The proverb inverts expectations by presenting a capacity for sorrow as a virtue rather than a flaw.
Psychological Perspective
Modern psychology affirms that allowing space for sadness can foster resilience, empathy, and self-knowledge. The proverb anticipates this wisdom, countering the stigma of sadness and critiquing forced or superficial happiness.
Social Commentary
By calling perpetual cheerfulness foolish, the proverb gently mocks social pressures to be constantly upbeat, suggesting that authentic life includes both light and shadow.
Rhetorical Devices
Hyperbole
The phrase exaggerates for effect—'once a day'—to underscore the value of regular introspection and the universality of melancholy.
Paradox
The proverb uses paradox, calling non-melancholy foolish, to challenge common assumptions about happiness and intelligence.
Irony
The saying is subtly ironic: what is often seen as undesirable (melancholy) is here reframed as a marker of wisdom, while its absence signals folly.
Transcription
Quotations
He is accounted little lesse a foole, who is not melancholy once a day.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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