Meaning & Analysis
Based on the historical theory of the Four Humors, this proverb literally means that every person's temperament and disposition are governed by their unique internal balance of bodily fluids (humors).
Insights
Individual Eccentricity
The proverb asserts that every individual possesses unique quirks, preferences, and personality traits, advocating for the acceptance of personal eccentricity as a natural part of the human condition.
Personal Freedom
It functions as a plea for tolerance, suggesting that people should be allowed to act according to their own nature and inclinations without judgment or interference.
Subjectivity and Taste
The proverb implies that personal tastes and behaviors are subjective and innate. What suits one person may not suit another, and this diversity should be respected.
Historical Medical Theory
The proverb is a direct echo of the ancient and medieval medical theory of the Four Humors (blood, phlegm, yellow and black bile), which were believed to dictate an individual's temperament. Its survival in language preserves this once-dominant scientific and cultural paradigm.
Literary Resonance
The phrase is famously linked to the 'comedy of humours,' a dramatic genre perfected by Ben Jonson with his play 'Every Man in His Humour.' This literary context popularized the idea of characters governed by a single overriding trait, cementing the proverb's cultural significance.
Psychological Insight
While the biological premise is obsolete, the proverb encapsulates a foundational concept of personality theory: that individuals possess distinct, inherent, and often unchangeable dispositions. It serves as an early call for psychological tolerance and acceptance of individual differences.
Rhetorical Devices
Archaism
The word 'humor' is an archaism, retaining its older, pre-modern sense of 'temperament' or 'disposition' rather than its contemporary meaning of 'amusement' or 'comedy'.
Synecdoche
The term 'humor' serves as a concise substitute for the entire complex of an individual’s personality, character, and idiosyncratic behaviors.
Conciseness
The phrase's brevity and balanced structure make it a memorable and easily quoted aphorism for summarizing the principle of individuality.
Transcription
Quotations
[Title]
Every man has his humour.
[Title]
Every man hath his humour; his way to himself.
[As in 1639 CL.]
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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