Love is blind is a proverb that has been in use since at least the 1400s, though its roots are much older. A proverb is a short, common saying or phrase. These language tools particularly give advice or share a universal truth, or impart wisdom. Synonyms for proverb include adage, aphorism, sayings, and byword, which can also be someone or something that is the best example of a group. Often, a proverb is so familiar that a speaker will only quote half of it, relying on the listener to supply the ending of the written or spoken proverb himself. Speakers of English as a second language are sometimes confused by these expressions as translations from English to other languages do not carry the impact that the English phrases carry. Some common proverbs are better late than never, curiosity killed the cat, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, never look a gift horse in the mouth, blood is thicker than water, and don’t count your chickens before they hatch. One of the books of the Bible is the Book of Proverbs, which contains words and phrases that are still often quoted in the English language because they are wise. Many current proverbs are quotations taken from literature, particularly Shakespeare, as well as the Bible and other sacred writings. We will examine the meaning of the expression love is blind, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.
Love is blind is a commentary on the fact that most people in love do not see the faults in their beloved. This inability to see the imperfections in one’s object of love usually occurs in the early stages of infatuation. The expression love is blind is first found in English in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Merchant’s Tale: “For loue is blynd alday and may nat see.” The proverb was further popularized by William Shakespeare in his plays Henry V, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and The Merchant Of Venice. The observation that love is blind is much older, and may be found in the writings of Plato: “For the lover is blind in his view of the object loved…”
Examples
But as the saying goes, love is blind, and President Trump has done nothing but heap praise on North Korea’s supreme leader since the two first locked eyes last summer in Singapore. (Rolling Stone Magazine)
(The title’s question comes from a Shakespearean song that toys with the meaning of “love is blind.”) (The Valley Advocate)
In 2016, Khloe opened up to Howard Stern about her marriage, saying: “Love is blind… Lamar was so great at making me feel like I was the only one and I’m this princess.” (The Mirror)
Worms, meanwhile, are living proof that love is blind. (TIME Magazine)