No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver

/noh AHY pay-OR SYEH-goh keh el keh noh KYEH-reh VEHR/

Refers to someone who willfully ignores an obvious truth, reality, or problem because it is easier or more comfortable than facing it.

Level:B2Register:NeutralCommon:★★★★☆

💡 Understanding the Idiom

Literal Translation:

"There is no worse blind person than the one who doesn't want to see."

What It Really Means:

Refers to someone who willfully ignores an obvious truth, reality, or problem because it is easier or more comfortable than facing it.

English Equivalents:

There are none so blind as those who will not seeTo be in denialTo turn a blind eyeTo bury one's head in the sand

🎨 Literal vs. Figurative

💭 Literal

A person actively covering their eyes to avoid looking at a giant pink elephant standing right in front of them.

Literally, this means 'there is no worse blind person than one who doesn't want to see'.

✨ Figurative

A scene illustrating willful ignorance, where a mother ignores clear evidence of her son's messy room.

It describes someone who chooses to ignore a truth that is right in front of them.

Key Words in This Idiom:

📝 In Action

Todos ven que su negocio está fallando, pero él sigue gastando. No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver.

Everyone sees that his business is failing, but he keeps spending. There are none so blind as those who will not see.

Le mostré las pruebas, pero no me creyó. Está claro que no hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver.

I showed her the evidence, but she didn't believe me. It's clear that there's no one blinder than the person who doesn't want to see.

📜 Origin Story

This is a very old piece of wisdom, so old that it's hard to find a single starting point. Similar ideas appear in ancient texts across many cultures, including the Bible (specifically, Jeremiah 5:21). It captures a universal human behavior: sometimes it's easier to ignore a difficult truth than to face it. Over centuries, it became a standard proverb in Spanish and many other languages to describe willful ignorance.

⭐ Usage Tips

A Proverb for Pointing Out Denial

Use this full phrase when you're commenting on a situation where someone is clearly ignoring the truth. It’s often said about a third person, but you can also say it directly to someone to be more direct, though be careful as it can sound a bit preachy or judgmental.

❌ Common Pitfalls

It's Not About Actual Blindness

Mistake: "Confusing this proverb with a literal statement about visually impaired people."

Correction: This phrase is entirely metaphorical. It's about 'mental' or 'emotional' blindness, not a physical condition. Using it in a conversation about actual blindness would be inappropriate and confusing.

🌎 Where It's Used

🇪🇸

Spain

Extremely common and universally understood as a piece of folk wisdom.

🌎

Latin America

Universally known and used across all of Latin America. It's a standard, classic Spanish proverb.

🔗 Related Idioms

↔️ Similar Meanings

hacer oídos sordos

To intentionally ignore something you hear; 'to make deaf ears'.

mirar para otro lado

To look the other way; to pretend not to see something.

⇆ Opposite Meanings

abrir los ojos

To realize the truth about a situation; 'to open one's eyes'.

llamar al pan, pan y al vino, vino

To speak plainly and tell it like it is; 'to call bread, bread and wine, wine'.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver

Question 1 of 1

What kind of person does 'No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver' describe?

🏷️ Tags

Commonly UsedLies & DeceptionBody PartsStupidity

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it rude to say this to someone?

It can be. Saying it directly to someone is like accusing them of being in denial, which is confrontational. It's often used to comment on a situation to a third person. Tone is very important; it can be said with sympathy or with frustration.