There's a mysterious and quote card image called "there is an Arabic saying" going viral on social media since May 2021, which uses a still image from the 2012 Life of Pi film to bait people into asking what is the classic Arabic saying being mentioned in the meme.

As you can likely guess, there is no Arabic saying, but there is, however, a series of silly and satirical jokes against hustle culture content on social media and a punchline joke ready to be shared and used against those who are familiar with the meme.

Let's explore how the "there is an Arabic saying" meme went viral and its evolution into a reaction image on Twitter / X and Ifunny over the years.

What Is The 'There Is an Arabic Saying' Meme?

"There is an Arabic saying" is an exploitable quote card meme based on a still image from the 2012 film Life of Pi. The image was posted in May 2021 by the Instagram page billionairebound, showing the film's protagonist Pi Patel in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, paired with a caption that reads a made-up Arabic quote about deliberately subjecting oneself to hardships.

It is unknown who exactly started the meme, however, prior to April 7th, 2022, an unknown user posted a recaptioned version of the macro, removing most of the text except for "kill yourself."

How Did The 'There Is an Arabic Saying' Meme Go Viral?

Over the years, the pixelated and low-quality versions of the quote quard meme evolved into a staple format for satirical or shocking punchlines shared across social media, especially during 2024 when the meme gained widespread attention on TikTok and Twitter / X. For example, in January 2023, X user @SKULLHORNETS used the image to reply to a user sharing the 1998 Eye Chart meme.

h2 How Is The 'There Is an Arabic Saying' Meme Used Online?

The meme is primarily used as a reaction image to mock or joke about other people's opinions on social media. For instance, in July 2024, X user @JohnB132489 posted a version of the meme recaptioned to, "There is an Arabic saying: kill all white people."

In March 2025, TikTok user @_videojames_ posted an ironic video dubbing the phrase "there is an Arabic saying," repeating it throughout the whole video without finishing the sentence.

@_videojames_ So anyway it goes this way 🎵anandi – Mychael Danna #fyp #fypシ #meme #saying #voiceover #voiceactor #memes #relatable #mood #asmr #vibes #real #vo #va #wisdom #arabic #tiger ♬ original sound – Video James

What Are Some Notable 'There Is an Arabic Saying' Meme Examples?

For the full history of the There Is An Arabic Saying, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.