proverb · Words worth keeping
Ceremony is the smoke of friendship.
Ceremony is the smoke of friendship.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes ceremony the smoke of friendship. It connects outward forms of regard with an underlying relationship.
What the words are saying
The checked historical parallel appears alongside comments about formal compliments and excess ceremony, supporting caution about display. The supplied celebration gloss is one reading rather than the whole possible contrast. A useful interpretation asks what dependable care lies behind a formality without claiming every ceremony is empty.
Everyday example
A reader considers whether an elaborate greeting is accompanied by actual supportive conduct.
When to use it
Use it to examine outward display and underlying connection with tone qualified.
What it does not mean
No verified cultural origin or claim that every ceremony conceals insincerity 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 709; PDF page 102
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.