Is there an English proverb meaning something like “he who goes outside his sphere has no sense?”
This is my free, back translation of a Portuguese version of an alleged English proverb. I found it in Portuguese writer Camilo de Castelo Branco’s 1876 The Exiled (“O Degredado”). Here’s my fairly literal translation of the relevant quote (my emphasis; original Portuguese here):
Some who had been condemned to exile, once they had served their time, returned from Africa and would go and look for their friends at Limoeiro [famous Lisbon jail]: they wouldn’t find them anywhere else; and they would bear themselves discreetly, not stepping outside their circle, for, as an English proverb says, he has no sphere who steps outside his.
My interpretation is that “he has no sphere” means ‘he has no head’, hence ‘no sense’; and “outside his” is ‘outside his sphere’. But “has no sphere” could presumably mean ‘has no circle of friends, no area of activity’, the same sense of sphere as in “outside his [sphere]”. After all I’ve never seen sphere used for ‘head’, but then the saying would be little more than a truism.
Is there any English proverb that could be the basis for this?
proverb-requests
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JacintoJacinto
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This is my free, back translation of a Portuguese version of an alleged English proverb. I found it in Portuguese writer Camilo de Castelo Branco’s 1876 The Exiled (“O Degredado”). Here’s my fairly literal translation of the relevant quote (my emphasis; original Portuguese here):
Some who had been condemned to exile, once they had served their time, returned from Africa and would go and look for their friends at Limoeiro [famous Lisbon jail]: they wouldn’t find them anywhere else; and they would bear themselves discreetly, not stepping outside their circle, for, as an English proverb says, he has no sphere who steps outside his.
My interpretation is that “he has no sphere” means ‘he has no head’, hence ‘no sense’; and “outside his” is ‘outside his sphere’. But “has no sphere” could presumably mean ‘has no circle of friends, no area of activity’, the same sense of sphere as in “outside his [sphere]”. After all I’ve never seen sphere used for ‘head’, but then the saying would be little more than a truism.
Is there any English proverb that could be the basis for this?
proverb-requests
asked 3 mins ago
JacintoJacinto
9,33242862
add a comment |
This is my free, back translation of a Portuguese version of an alleged English proverb. I found it in Portuguese writer Camilo de Castelo Branco’s 1876 The Exiled (“O Degredado”). Here’s my fairly literal translation of the relevant quote (my emphasis; original Portuguese here):
Some who had been condemned to exile, once they had served their time, returned from Africa and would go and look for their friends at Limoeiro [famous Lisbon jail]: they wouldn’t find them anywhere else; and they would bear themselves discreetly, not stepping outside their circle, for, as an English proverb says, he has no sphere who steps outside his.
My interpretation is that “he has no sphere” means ‘he has no head’, hence ‘no sense’; and “outside his” is ‘outside his sphere’. But “has no sphere” could presumably mean ‘has no circle of friends, no area of activity’, the same sense of sphere as in “outside his [sphere]”. After all I’ve never seen sphere used for ‘head’, but then the saying would be little more than a truism.
Is there any English proverb that could be the basis for this?
proverb-requests
asked 3 mins ago
JacintoJacinto
9,33242862
This is my free, back translation of a Portuguese version of an alleged English proverb. I found it in Portuguese writer Camilo de Castelo Branco’s 1876 The Exiled (“O Degredado”). Here’s my fairly literal translation of the relevant quote (my emphasis; original Portuguese here):
Some who had been condemned to exile, once they had served their time, returned from Africa and would go and look for their friends at Limoeiro [famous Lisbon jail]: they wouldn’t find them anywhere else; and they would bear themselves discreetly, not stepping outside their circle, for, as an English proverb says, he has no sphere who steps outside his.
My interpretation is that “he has no sphere” means ‘he has no head’, hence ‘no sense’; and “outside his” is ‘outside his sphere’. But “has no sphere” could presumably mean ‘has no circle of friends, no area of activity’, the same sense of sphere as in “outside his [sphere]”. After all I’ve never seen sphere used for ‘head’, but then the saying would be little more than a truism.
Is there any English proverb that could be the basis for this?
proverb-requests
proverb-requests
asked 3 mins ago
JacintoJacinto
9,33242862
asked 3 mins ago
JacintoJacinto
9,33242862
asked 3 mins ago
JacintoJacinto
9,33242862
asked 3 mins ago
JacintoJacinto
9,33242862
asked 3 mins ago
JacintoJacinto
9,33242862
9,33242862
add a comment |
add a comment |
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