gods may do what cattle may not

proverb

What is permitted to one important person or group is not permitted to everyone; there is a double standard.

“For quotations using this term, see Citations:gods may do what cattle may not.”

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Meanings

proverb
  1. What is permitted to one important person or group is not permitted to everyone; there is a double standard.

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:gods may do what cattle may not.

Origin

Perhaps a modified calque of quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

gods may do what cattle may not. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gods%20may%20do%20what%20cattle%20may%20not

MLA

“gods may do what cattle may not.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gods%20may%20do%20what%20cattle%20may%20not. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gods may do what cattle may not,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gods%20may%20do%20what%20cattle%20may%20not.

Source: gods may do what cattle may not on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.