proverb · Source-linked selection
Choose your wife on Saturday, and not on a Sunday.
Choose your wife on Saturday, and not on a Sunday.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying recommends choosing a wife on Saturday rather than Sunday. A qualified reading favours seeing ordinary life instead of judging someone only in a special setting.
What the words are saying
The two days supply the contrast but the source does not explain their customs. Everyday conduct versus a more prepared appearance is a possible interpretation, not a verified account of local dress or worship. A responsible wider application encourages knowing a prospective partner across different situations, with mutual choice and respect. It should not treat a woman as an object to select or assume that appearance reveals a person’s whole character.
Everyday example
Two people considering a relationship spend time together in ordinary situations as well as planned occasions.
When to use it
Use it as a qualified discussion of getting to know a partner beyond a single occasion.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
The day-specific custom and exact intention are unverified; partnership requires mutual choice.
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 1759 · Wife
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English