He who is born round cannot die square — fundamental character does not change. The person you are born as is the person you will die as; no amount of education, travel, or social pressure can fundamentally alter what is in the nature. Used both cynically and with affectionate resignation.
Sicily's fatalistic streak runs deep, and this proverb is one of its most elegant expressions. 'Tunnu' (tondo, round) and 'quatratu' (quadrato, square) are geometric opposites — a circle cannot become a square, cannot have corners it was not born with. The proverb was applied to habitual behaviours: the man who was always a liar will die a liar; the woman who was always generous will die generous; the boy who was always lazy will be a lazy old man. It was used by mothers sighing over children who had not improved, by old men explaining why they had forgiven a relative's relapse, by anyone who had stopped expecting change from someone they had known for years. It is not necessarily cruel — sometimes it is offered with tenderness, accepting a beloved person as they are rather than as you wished them to be.
A proverb of Sicilian fatalism about human nature. 'Tunnu' = tondo (round), 'quatratu' = quadrato (square). Uses simple geometry to express an immutable view of character. Recorded across Sicily from the 18th century onward.
After a reformed gambler relapses
Ha smesso per due anni, poi ha ricominciato. Cu nasce tunnu non po' moriri quatratu — speravo, ma forse non cambiamo davvero.
He stopped for two years, then started again. He who is born round cannot die square — I hoped, but perhaps we do not really change.
Accepting a generous friend for who they are
Dà soldi a tutti quelli che gliene chiedono. — Cu nasce tunnu non po' moriri quatratu — è fatto così, è sempre stato così.
He gives money to everyone who asks him. — He who is born round cannot die square — he is made this way, he always has been.
After years of trying to change a difficult relative
Ho smesso di cercare di cambiarlo. Cu nasce tunnu non po' moriri quatratu — lo accetto come è e mantengo le distanze.
I have stopped trying to change him. He who is born round cannot die square — I accept him as he is and keep my distance.
A psychologist questioning the proverb's absolute claim
La gente cita cu nasce tunnu non po' moriri quatratu, ma la neuroscienza dice che cambiamo per tutta la vita. Forse i siciliani erano troppo pessimisti.
People cite 'he who is born round cannot die square,' but neuroscience says we change throughout life. Perhaps the Sicilians were too pessimistic.