in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

• in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
• in the valley of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

From Latin in regione caecorum rex est luscus, credited to Desiderius Erasmus's Adagia (1500).

A similar (yet much earlier, dating to the 4th or 5th century CE) turn of phrase, and Erasmus' possible inspiration, appears in the Genesis Rabbah as "בשוק סמייא צווחין לעווירא סגי נהור", meaning "In the street of the blind, the one-eyed man is called the Guiding Light".

in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

1. Even someone with limited abilities or opportunities is dominant over, and considered special by, those who have even fewer abilities and opportunities; the value of any ability depends on its commonness.

• Desiderius Erasmus on Wikiquote.Wikiquote