proverb · Words worth keeping
All cats are grey in the dark.
All cats are grey in the dark.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes all cats grey in darkness. As an explicit analogy, outward differences are pictured as becoming less apparent in a shared condition.
What the words are saying
All and grey give the image a complete sameness without verifying colour or vision. A useful application can question how much appearance contributes to a judgment. It should not imply that people or things are actually interchangeable once a visible distinction is hidden.
Everyday example
A reader asks whether an apparent difference matters to the task rather than treating appearance as the whole distinction.
When to use it
Use it as a stated analogy about apparent differences and their relevance.
What it does not mean
No visual or biological rule is verified, and hidden differences may still matter.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 257; PDF page 40
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.