proverb · Words worth keeping
An un kept promise leads to a bad life.
An un kept promise leads to a bad life.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An unkept promise leading to a bad life gives unreliability an expansive consequence. It warns that neglected commitments may affect relationships and choices.
What the words are saying
Bad life is a broad moral verdict rather than a predictable outcome from one event. A responsible interpretation can address consequences and repair without defining a person wholly by a failed commitment. Context, accountability, communication and opportunities to make amends still matter.
Everyday example
Someone acknowledges an unmet agreement and considers a fair remedy rather than treating it as a verdict on their entire life.
When to use it
Use it to discuss consequences with personal dignity and repair retained.
What it does not mean
No inevitable lifelong misfortune or complete judgment of a person’s worth is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 974; PDF page 136
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.