Far from court, far from care.
Far from court, far from care.
Meaning in plain English
Distance from a centre of power can mean distance from its pressures and intrigues. The saying values relief from courtly concerns, but being outside influential circles does not remove every worry or make exclusion a desirable condition.
Example
A volunteer chooses a local reading programme over a committee role involving constant status disputes, while recognising that the committee still makes decisions affecting the programme.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The court is pictured as a place that brings care with proximity. In a figurative reading, access to powerful people can also mean exposure to their demands, rivalries and expectations. Being farther away may offer room to attend to a different part of life. The proverb therefore questions the assumption that closeness to influence is always an advantage. Its contrast is deliberately neat, whereas real circumstances are less simple: distance can also limit opportunities or leave someone affected by decisions without a voice in them. A useful reading considers which pressures come with a role and which freedoms matter, rather than prescribing withdrawal or treating people outside power as carefree.
When to use it
Use it when considering the pressures that accompany proximity to influence.
Keep in mind
Distance can bring relief or exclusion; it does not eliminate all worries or justify denying people a voice.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-04. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 329 · Court
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗