proverb · Words worth keeping
Never strike your wife, even with a flower.
Never strike your wife, even with a flower.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A wife not to be struck even with a flower makes nonviolence absolute through an apparently gentle object. The saying rejects an excuse based on how slight an assault appears.
What the words are saying
A responsible interpretation extends respect and bodily autonomy beyond the marital role named in the source. It does not make lesser force acceptable or imply that harm requires a visible injury. Affection and disagreement provide no entitlement to strike another person.
Everyday example
Someone rejects a claim that an unwanted physical act was harmless because it was done lightly.
When to use it
Use it to discuss nonviolence and bodily autonomy.
What it does not mean
No marital entitlement to force or excuse from a small object is implied.
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
India
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 wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 372; PDF page 37; collection label: India
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- India