Humanism

The Māori he tangata, he tangata, he tangata — “it is people, it is people, it is people” — is one of the most quietly devastating statements in proverb literature. Asked what the most important thing is, the answer is given three times, and each time the same.

Cultures with humanist proverbs tend to use them at the moments when something material — money, status, ideology — is being weighed against a human cost. The proverb does not argue. It simply repeats.