proverb · Words worth keeping
Cast not pearls before swine.
Cast not pearls before swine.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Do not offer something valuable where it will be neither understood nor appreciated. Pearls and swine create an intentionally sharp contrast between value and reception.
What the words are saying
The image puts a precious object before creatures pictured as unable to recognise its worth. A broader reading concerns choosing the audience and occasion for an idea, gift or effort. Something meaningful to one person may be unwanted by another, and insisting on it can waste effort or cause frustration. The insulting comparison needs care: a difference in taste or understanding does not make another person inferior. A useful application asks whether the offer fits the recipient rather than ranking people’s worth.
Everyday example
A writer looks for readers interested in a difficult essay instead of repeatedly pressing it on someone who has declined it.
When to use it
Use it to consider whether an offer fits its audience and occasion.
What it does not mean
Do not use the animal comparison to demean people or dismiss a legitimate disagreement.
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
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1221 · Pearls
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English