Meaning & Analysis
The phrase is purely metaphorical and has no literal meaning; it describes a person's mental state, not a physical condition of having actual windmills inside their head.
Insights
Quixotic Delusion
The primary meaning, drawn from *Don Quixote*, is that a person is delusional, prone to fantasy, and unable to distinguish between reality and their own fanciful imagination.
Impractical Schemes
The proverb describes someone preoccupied with impractical, grandiose, or 'empty' projects. The spinning of the windmill symbolizes ambitious but ultimately fruitless or unrealistic schemes.
Mental Eccentricity
Beyond specific plans, the phrase can characterize a general state of eccentricity or mental confusion, suggesting a mind that is chaotic, disordered, and out of touch with common sense.
Literary Allusion to Don Quixote
The proverb is inextricably linked to Cervantes' *Don Quixote* (1605/1615), where the protagonist famously mistakes windmills for giants. The phrase became a literary shorthand for quixotic delusion, capturing the essence of someone whose imagination overrides their perception of reality.
Psychology of an Overactive Mind
Psychologically, the image of windmills suggests a mind in constant, unceasing motion. It points to an internal state of chaotic, perhaps unproductive, mental activity, where grand ideas spin without being grounded in practical reality.
Symbolism of Unreliable Power
The windmill itself, a machine dependent on the unpredictable power of wind, serves as a symbol for projects or ideas that are ambitious but lack a stable, controllable foundation, highlighting their inherent unreliability.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
The entire proverb is a powerful metaphor, where 'windmills' stand for fanciful, impractical, and delusional thoughts that dominate a person's mind ('head').
Literary Allusion
The phrase functions as a direct literary allusion to the iconic scene in Cervantes' *Don Quixote*, which provides its primary cultural and symbolic context.
Imagery
The image of large, complex machines spinning uncontrollably inside a person's skull is a vivid and memorable visual that effectively communicates the scale and chaos of the individual's thoughts.
Transcription
Quotations
For they were none other then Windemils, nor could any think otherwise, unlessee hee had also Windemils in his braines.
Thy head is full of Wind-mils.
I do love One that has windmills in his head. —How, madam? —Projects, and proclamation.
If they will set up windmills in their heads, contribute my assistance to cut out the sails.
(To have).
Wind-mills in the Head, empty Projects.
Cross References
- See St., no. 1535.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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