proverb · Words worth keeping
Better go to bed supperless than to rise in debt.
Better go to bed supperless than to rise in debt.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying prefers missing supper to waking in debt. It expresses a strong aversion to owing, even at the cost of immediate comfort or provision.
Example
Someone considers a nonessential purchase’s later obligations while making sure essential needs remain met.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Bed and rise carry the consequence from one part of a day to the next. A critical reading can discuss commitments that extend beyond a present purchase while refusing to make hunger a moral duty. Whether borrowing is necessary or appropriate depends on circumstances that the proverb does not supply. Its stark preference is a viewpoint, not a complete financial rule.
When to use it
Use it to discuss the future burden of an optional commitment.
Keep in mind
It is not financial advice or a reason to deny food or essential support.
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