proverb · Legacy record
Better an ounce of happiness than a pound of gold.
Better an ounce of happiness than a pound of gold.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying values a small amount of happiness above a larger amount of gold. It compares emotional and material value through imagined weights.
What the words are saying
Ounce and pound dramatise the preference rather than measuring happiness. A useful application can ask what a gain means to someone beyond its price. The phrase should not dismiss necessities or claim that being happy automatically improves productivity.
Everyday example
Someone considers enjoyment and affordability together rather than deciding solely from an item’s price.
When to use it
Use it to discuss value beyond wealth while recognising material needs.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
The weights are figurative, and happiness does not replace necessities or guarantee productivity.
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 217; PDF page 35
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.