A promise is a debt.
A promise is a debt.
Meaning in plain English
A promise as a debt pictures a commitment as something owed to another. It gives an assurance the weight of an obligation.
Example
Someone records an agreed commitment and discusses a necessary change with the person affected.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The debt is a moral image rather than an automatic legal or financial classification. A useful interpretation checks the commitment’s actual terms and feasibility. Keeping faith can include honest communication and agreed revision when circumstances change; the image does not justify unlimited demands or coercion.
When to use it
Use it to discuss responsibility for an undertaking with its limits considered.
Keep in mind
No legal debt, unlimited obligation or right to compel harmful fulfilment is established.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 971; PDF page 135
Reuse and collection notes ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · supplied collection
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Contributor-confirmed reuse permission
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗