Don’t Worry About the Mule Goin’ Blind
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "Don’t worry about the mule going blind - just keep plowing to the end of the row" means "stay focused on your work and don’t fret over things you can’t control." It’s a vivid farm-based metaphor for perseverance.
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The whole sayin' is ‘don’t worry about the mule going blind - just keep plowing to the end of the row.’ This one is probably regional and mainly old timers. The whole sayin' is ‘don’t worry about the mule going blind - just keep plowing to the end of the row.’ This one is probably regional and mainly old timers. Pronunciation
Meaning & Usage
- Stay focused; don’t fret over things you can’t control (proverb / metaphor)
I’m worried about what might go wrong.Don’t worry about the mule going blind - just keep plowing to the end of the row.Origin and Etymology
Documented in Southern and Appalachian folk-saying collections, sermons, and political speeches from the mid-20th century onward. Draws on everyday mule-and-plow farm work familiar across the rural South.
Usage Notes
Still heard among older Southerners, preachers, and businesspeople as a homespun motivational line. Outside the South it’s rare and often quoted to evoke a "country wisdom" feel.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "don’t worry ’bout the mule goin’ blind, just keep plowin’ to the end of the row." Often shortened to just the first half or the "keep plowing" part.