--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh, the twenties and the thirties were…" description: "\"Oh, the twenties and the thirties were not otherwise designedThan other times when blind men into ditches led the blind,When the rich mouse ate the che..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/william-plomer-46550_blind_oh-the-twenties-and-the-thirties-were-no_1172267.jpg" --- # Oh, the twenties and the thirties were not otherwise… ![“Oh, the twenties and the thirties were not otherwise designedThan other times when blind men into ditches led the blind,When the rich mouse ate the cheese and the poor mouse got the rind,And man, the self-destroyer, was not lucid in his mind.” quote by William Plomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/william-plomer-46550_blind_oh-the-twenties-and-the-thirties-were-no_1172267.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/william-plomer-46550_blind_oh-the-twenties-and-the-thirties-were-no_1172267.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/william-plomer-46550_blind_oh-the-twenties-and-the-thirties-were-no_1172267.jpg) > “Oh, the twenties and the thirties were not otherwise designedThan other times when blind men into ditches led the blind,When the rich mouse ate the cheese and the poor mouse got the rind,And man, the self-destroyer, was not lucid in his mind.” [William Plomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-plomer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem critiques societal inequality and the folly of leaders who misguide, highlighting how the privileged exploit while the poor suffer. **In simple terms:** Society’s leaders mislead, causing suffering for the less fortunate. Key Takeaway Question authority and seek justice. Themes inequality leadership social critique Mood somber thoughtful Type poetic critical When to use this quote - political activism - community organizing - education reform - media literacy Key Concepts political theory morality Questions to Reflect On - What modern parallels exist to the blind leading the blind? - How can individuals challenge unjust leadership? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex historical contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) [Blind man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind-man/) [Blind Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind-men-605566/) [Cheese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheese/) [Destroyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroyers/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mice/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Oh Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oh-twenties-3403867/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Thirties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirties/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Twenties Thirties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties-thirties-492442/) ## Related quotes > [Nobody smart knows what they want to do until they get into their twenties or thirties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/nobody-smart-knows-what-they-want-to-do-until-they-get-into-their/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [If you're a man in your twenties or thirties, and you have yet to make your fortune, I would urge you not to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-simmons/if-you-re-a-man-in-your-twenties-or-thirties-and-you-have-yet-to-make/) [Gene Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-simmons/) > [During my twenties and thirties, my interest in the political poem increased as my apparent access to it declined. I sensed resistances around me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eavan-boland/during-my-twenties-and-thirties-my-interest-in-the-political-poem/) [Eavan Boland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eavan-boland/) > [I'd never want to go back to being in my twenties or thirties. I was lost and confused and uncomfortable in my own skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/i-d-never-want-to-go-back-to-being-in-my-twenties-or-thirties-i-was/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [Lust comes and goes, even in your twenties and thirties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marsh/lust-comes-and-goes-even-in-your-twenties-and-thirties/) [Jean Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marsh/) > [I spent my late twenties and all of my thirties figuring out what I was supposed to be doing and where my home was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-salie/i-spent-my-late-twenties-and-all-of-my-thirties-figuring-out-what-i/) [Faith Salie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-salie/) > [“We all spend our twenties and thirties trying so hard to be perfect, because we’re so worried about what people will think of us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/we-all-spend-our-twenties-and-thirties-trying-so-hard-to-be-perfect/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [For a while in the twenties and thirties, art was talked about as a substitute for religion; now B movies are a substitute for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/for-a-while-in-the-twenties-and-thirties-art-was-talked-about-as-a/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [It doesn't surprise me that men in their twenties and thirties are often looking for a much older woman. What is the problem with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-bellucci/it-doesn-t-surprise-me-that-men-in-their-twenties-and-thirties-are/) [Monica Bellucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-bellucci/) > [“It was one thing to be depressed in your twenties or thirties, when the aspect of youth gave it an undeniable poignancy, a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/it-was-one-thing-to-be-depressed-in-your-twenties-or-thirties-when/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [I made a lot of changes in my life between my twenties and thirties, and it all sort of revolves around how I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/i-made-a-lot-of-changes-in-my-life-between-my-twenties-and-thirties/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [I told her it was a bigger than life musical, that all the actors were going to be about the same age, late twenties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-kleiser/i-told-her-it-was-a-bigger-than-life-musical-that-all-the-actors-were/) [Randal Kleiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-kleiser/) > [The blindness of unbelievers in no way detracts from the clarity of the gospel; the sun is no less bright because blind men do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/the-blindness-of-unbelievers-in-no-way-detracts-from-the-clarity-of/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [A new civilization is emerging in our lives, and blind men everywhere are trying to suppress it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/a-new-civilization-is-emerging-in-our-lives-and-blind-men-everywhere/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [What's the condition of America like, spiritually, tonight? Zero. Why? Because we've got blind men coming out of seminaries. Men there don't teach them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/what-s-the-condition-of-america-like-spiritually-tonight-zero-why/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) ## More by William Plomer > [It is a function of creative men to perceive the relations between thoughts, or things, or forms of expression that may seem utterly different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-plomer/it-is-a-function-of-creative-men-to-perceive-the-relations-between/) [William Plomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-plomer/) > [Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-plomer/creativity-is-the-power-to-connect-the-seemingly-unconnected/) [William Plomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-plomer/) > [To keep a diary is to attempt a difficult literary form. Its effectiveness is likely to derive from a special blend of honesty and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-plomer/to-keep-a-diary-is-to-attempt-a-difficult-literary-form-its/) [William Plomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-plomer/) > [It is the function of creative man to perceive and to connect the seemingly unconnected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-plomer/it-is-the-function-of-creative-man-to-perceive-and-to-connect-the/) [William Plomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-plomer/) > [The commonplace needs no defence,Dullness is in the critic's eyes,Without a licence life evolvesFrom some dim phase its own surprise;Under these yellow-twinkling elms,Behind these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-plomer/the-commonplace-needs-no-defence-dullness-is-in-the-critic-s-eyes/) [William Plomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-plomer/) > [Patriotism is the last refuge of the sculptor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-plomer/patriotism-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-sculptor/) [William Plomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-plomer/) > [“It is the function of creative people to perceive relations between thoughts, or things, or forms of expressions that seem utterly different, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-plomer/it-is-the-function-of-creative-people-to-perceive-relations-between/) [William Plomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-plomer/) [Explore all 8 William Plomer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-plomer/) ## More Blind quotes > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [Love is so blind, it feels right when it's wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/love-is-so-blind-it-feels-right-when-it-s-wrong/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [... Arthur Gride, whose bleared eyes gloated only over the outward beauties, and were blind to the spirit which reigned within, evinced - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/arthur-gride-whose-bleared-eyes-gloated-only-over-the-outward/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“A man who saw has turned blind, A hearer deaf, A leader now leads astray!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-lichtheim/a-man-who-saw-has-turned-blind-a-hearer-deaf-a-leader-now-leads-astray/) [Miriam Lichtheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-lichtheim/) > [“What I shall feel to-morrow I cannot tell. Maybe I shall go blind again, for women are never two days alike in their minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-parker/what-i-shall-feel-to-morrow-i-cannot-tell-maybe-i-shall-go-blind/) [Gilbert Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-parker/) > [Now the stage today is to know that Self Realization gives you experiences and then your faith is established. Not blind but open enlightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/now-the-stage-today-is-to-know-that-self-realization-gives-you/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“The heart’s blind. It’s the head that causes all the trouble. Sometimes both are stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-bromberg/the-heart-s-blind-it-s-the-head-that-causes-all-the-trouble-sometimes/) [K. Bromberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-bromberg/) > [“In the story of the blind men and the elephant, what’s usually ignored is the fact that each man’s description was correct. What Faye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-hill/in-the-story-of-the-blind-men-and-the-elephant-what-s-usually-ignored/) [Nathan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-hill/) > [My favorite performance would definitely be "Toxic," which was my blind audition song. It was the start of it all and it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/my-favorite-performance-would-definitely-be-toxic-which-was-my-blind/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [Our attitude towards evil must be freed from hatred, and has itself need to be enlightened in character...Satan rejoices when he succeeds in inspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/our-attitude-towards-evil-must-be-freed-from-hatred-and-has-itself/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [If you are the master be sometimes blind, if you are the servant be sometimes deaf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/if-you-are-the-master-be-sometimes-blind-if-you-are-the-servant-be/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [I'm glad I'm blind and can't see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/i-m-glad-i-m-blind-and-can-t-see-it/) [Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/) > [Shut your eyes and you will know what I mean by thought entombed in darkness. Light comes through the senses, and not only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/shut-your-eyes-and-you-will-know-what-i-mean-by-thought-entombed-in/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Blind with love, my daughter has cried nightly for horses, those long-necked marchers and churners that she has mastered, any and all, reigning them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/blind-with-love-my-daughter-has-cried-nightly-for-horses-those-long/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) [Browse all 3,877 Blind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Oh, the twenties and the thirties were not otherwise designedThan other times when blind men into ditches led the blind,When the rich mouse ate the cheese and the poor mouse got the rind,And man, the self-destroyer, was not lucid in his mind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Plomer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-plomer/oh-the-twenties-and-the-thirties-were-not-otherwise-designedthan/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blind" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-plomer/oh-the-twenties-and-the-thirties-were-not-otherwise-designedthan/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/william-plomer-46550_blind_oh-the-twenties-and-the-thirties-were-no_1172267.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/william-plomer-46550_blind_oh-the-twenties-and-the-thirties-were-no_1172267.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/william-plomer-46550_blind_oh-the-twenties-and-the-thirties-were-no_1172267.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Oh, the twenties and the thirties were not otherwise designedThan other times when blind men into ditches…” — William Plomer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "William Plomer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-plomer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Oh, the twenties and the thirties...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-plomer/oh-the-twenties-and-the-thirties-were-not-otherwise-designedthan/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-plomer/oh-the-twenties-and-the-thirties-were-not-otherwise-designedthan/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```