proverb · Words worth keeping
Everything is good in its season.
Everything is good in its season.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Something useful or welcome can be better suited to one occasion than another. The saying values timing and context, while its broad wording should not imply that every action becomes good merely by choosing a moment for it.
Example
A curator invites detailed comments during the planning session but keeps the opening welcome brief, leaving visitors time to experience the exhibition.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The season gives the thing a setting in which its value can be realised. Figuratively, an activity, question or offer may serve a purpose at one stage and interrupt it at another. A useful reading asks what is needed now and whether a later or earlier occasion would make the contribution more helpful. Timing does not excuse a harmful act or prove that a preferred moment will arrive. Some matters require prompt attention even when inconvenient. The saying encourages fit between the contribution and the circumstances rather than indefinite postponement or a claim that all things are equally appropriate eventually.
When to use it
Use it when the usefulness of a contribution depends on its occasion or stage.
Keep in mind
Context matters alongside conduct; do not use timing to excuse harm or postpone a necessary response.
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