THE BIBLE-RELATED QUOTE THAT’S NOT IN THE BIBLE: “None so blind as those that will not see.” Matthew Henry (1662-1714) English Presbyterian minister and writer A saying popularized by Henry’s use in his Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708) Contrary to common belief, this is not a quote from the Bible. It’s a proverbial English saying with no clear origin. Matthew Henry helped popularize it by using it several times in his widely-read book of explanatory comments about the Bible. The saying was probably inspired by Bible verses, possibly Matthew 13:13 (“Therefore I speak to them in parables: because they seeing see not…”) or Jeremiah 5:21 (“Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not…”). |
THE LAME EXCUSE VARIATION: “There are none so lame as those who will not walk.” |
THE TRUE BELIEVER PRINCIPLE: “There are none so positive as those who are but half right.” |
“There are none so tender as those who have been skinned themselves.” |
THE UNWORTHY WISH LIST VERSION: “There are none so bitterly disappointed as those who have got what they wanted, because human nature is so sadly prone to want such things as are unworthy.” |
THE IRRITATING BLOWHARDS PRINCIPLE: “None so empty as those who are full of themselves.” |
THE IRRITATING CRITICS PRINCIPLE: “There’s none so bland as can’t see.” Editorial comment in a 1994 issue of the Theatre Record Regarding a critic’s negative review of an avant-garde adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard III |
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