---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whoever might perfume a scorpion Will not…"
description: "\"“Whoever might perfume a scorpion Will not thereby escape its sting. Bahaudin Naqshband”\" — Idries Shah"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/idries-shah-450_bahaudin_whoever-might-perfume-a-scorpion-will-no_1358847.jpg"
---

#  Whoever might perfume a scorpion Will not thereby escape…

![“Whoever might perfume a scorpion Will not thereby escape its sting. Bahaudin Naqshband” quote by Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/idries-shah-450_bahaudin_whoever-might-perfume-a-scorpion-will-no_1358847.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/idries-shah-450_bahaudin_whoever-might-perfume-a-scorpion-will-no_1358847.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/idries-shah-450_bahaudin_whoever-might-perfume-a-scorpion-will-no_1358847.jpg)

> ““Whoever might perfume a scorpion Will not thereby escape its sting. Bahaudin Naqshband””

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Attempting to handle danger with a superficial solution cannot avoid its harm; true danger requires deeper understanding.

**In simple terms:** Superficial fixes won’t stop real danger.

Key Takeaway

Address root causes, not just symptoms.

Themes

caution wisdom danger

Mood

cautionary philosophical

Type

advice reflective

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- personal safety
- leadership training
- healthcare

Key Concepts

Sufism metaphor risk management

Questions to Reflect On

- What hidden risks are you overlooking?
- How can you confront problems at their core?

A Different Perspective

Ignoring deeper issues leads to repeated harm.

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[Bahaudin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bahaudin-14398/) [Escape Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escape-sting-4643676/) [Naqshbandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naqshbandi-128793/) [Perfume Scorpion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfume-scorpion-4643673/) [Scorpion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scorpion/) [Scorpion Escape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scorpion-escape-4643675/) [Sting Bahaudin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sting-bahaudin-4643674/) [Sufis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufis/) [Sufism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufism/)

## Related quotes

> [“Never follow any impulse to teach, however strong it might be. The command to teach is not felt as an impulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/never-follow-any-impulse-to-teach-however-strong-it-might-be-the/)

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## More by Idries Shah

> [“To be a Sufi is to detach from fixed ideas and from preconceptions; and not to try to avoid what is your lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/to-be-a-sufi-is-to-detach-from-fixed-ideas-and-from-preconceptions/)

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> [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/)

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> [“Sufism is transmitted by means of the human exemplar, the teacher.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/sufism-is-transmitted-by-means-of-the-human-exemplar-the-teacher/)

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> [“No existe práctica en aislamiento.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/no-existe-pr-ctica-en-aislamiento/)

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> [A king who feared wasps once decreed that they were abolished. As it happened, they did him no harm. But he was eventually stung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/a-king-who-feared-wasps-once-decreed-that-they-were-abolished-as-it/)

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> [“Do not tell your secrets to everyone in this headquarters, Earth. We have surveyed it well. There was nobody to whom to entrust secrets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/do-not-tell-your-secrets-to-everyone-in-this-headquarters-earth-we/)

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> [“Sufis are those who have expunged from their minds the human tendencies of envy and enmity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/sufis-are-those-who-have-expunged-from-their-minds-the-human/)

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> [“Yes, the world is an illusion. But Truth is always being shown there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/yes-the-world-is-an-illusion-but-truth-is-always-being-shown-there/)

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> [It is the message, not the man, which is important to the Sufis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/it-is-the-message-not-the-man-which-is-important-to-the-sufis/)

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> [“Who is the wrong person to criticise? You”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you/)

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> [“You may be able to get the bone down your throat But if it reaches your stomach it will tear your navel. (Gulistan)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/you-may-be-able-to-get-the-bone-down-your-throat-but-if-it-reaches/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [“People are always trying to understand. There is only one way to do that. It is to discover < + i + >why< +…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/people-are-always-trying-to-understand-there-is-only-one-way-to-do/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [We view Sufism not as an ideology that molds people to the right way of belief or action, but as an art or science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/we-view-sufism-not-as-an-ideology-that-molds-people-to-the-right-way/)

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[Explore all 365 Idries Shah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

## More Bahaudin quotes

> [“Never follow any impulse to teach, however strong it might be. The command to teach is not felt as an impulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/never-follow-any-impulse-to-teach-however-strong-it-might-be-the/)

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[Browse all 2 Bahaudin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bahaudin-14398/)

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