proverb · Words worth keeping
Eating and drinking takes away one's appetite.
Eating and drinking takes away one's appetite.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying observes that satisfying an appetite diminishes the desire that prompted it. As an analogy, obtaining something can alter how urgently it is wanted.
Example
Someone borrows a tool for a single task and then realises that owning it permanently is no longer a priority.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Eating and drinking are pictured as answering a want until the appetite recedes. A figurative reading can invite someone to distinguish a present desire from a lasting priority. It does not mean every need disappears after one experience or that all enjoyment is self-defeating. The useful question is how the desire changes once it has been met.
When to use it
Use it as a stated analogy about wants after fulfilment.
Keep in mind
The analogy does not diagnose appetite or establish a nutritional rule.
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