Author: Leo Tolstoy
A Man born blind asked a Seeing Man: “Of what colour is milk?”
The Seeing Man said: “The colour of milk is the same as that of white paper.”
The Blind Man asked: “Well, does that colour rustle in your hands like paper?”
The Seeing Man said: “No, it is as white as white flour.”
The Blind Man asked: “Well, is it as soft and as powdery as flour?”
The Seeing Man said: “No, it is simply as white as a white hare.”
The Blind Man asked: “Well, is it as fluffy and soft as a hare?”
The Seeing Man said: “No, it is as white as snow.”
The Blind Man asked: “Well, is it as cold as snow?”
And no matter how many examples the Seeing Man gave, the Blind Man was unable to understand what the white colour of milk was like.
