proverb · Words worth keeping
Better are small fish than an empty dish.
Better are small fish than an empty dish.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A modest useful result can be preferable to none at all. Appreciate what a small gain actually provides while remaining honest about whether it is enough.
Example
A community library accepts a small donation of suitable books to begin a collection while continuing to seek the materials needed for its planned reading sessions.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The dish is either empty or contains small fish. The saying favours the meal that supplies something, even if it falls short of what was hoped for. Figuratively, a limited contribution or partial improvement may still have value and should not be discarded solely because it is modest. The comparison is with nothing, not with every alternative that might be available. It cannot establish that an inadequate provision is fair or that a person should stop seeking better support. Consider both the immediate usefulness of the small result and the larger need that may remain unmet.
When to use it
Use it when a small but useful contribution is being dismissed solely for its size.
Keep in mind
A modest benefit can matter without being sufficient or justifying an unfairly small provision.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their 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
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English