a cat can look at a king

A form of a cat may look at a king — A purported inferior has certain rights or prerogatives, even in the presence of a purported superior.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. alternativeAlternative form of a cat may look at a king.

    a doctrine which James characteristically parodied as the belief that a cat cannot look at a king unless some higher entity is looking at them both.

    1982, A J Ayer, “Pragmatism”, in Philosophy in the Twentieth Century, page 71
Cite this entry
APA

a cat can look at a king. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20cat%20can%20look%20at%20a%20king

MLA

“a cat can look at a king.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20cat%20can%20look%20at%20a%20king. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “a cat can look at a king,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20cat%20can%20look%20at%20a%20king.

Source: a cat can look at a king on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.