proverb · Words worth keeping
Foolish pity spoils a city.
Foolish pity spoils a city.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Compassion that ignores consequences can fail to help the people affected. The saying asks for thoughtfulness alongside pity.
Example
A group offers an easy excuse for a repeated harmful action instead of helping the person meet a clear responsibility.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Pity is called foolish when the response it inspires creates or preserves a problem instead of addressing it. The city makes the imagined consequences wider than one private encounter. It can prompt a question about whether an apparently kind action is actually useful and fair. Its harsh wording should not become an argument against compassion or assistance. A careful reading examines the particular response, listens to those affected and avoids assuming that refusing help is automatically the wiser choice.
When to use it
Use it to ask whether a compassionate response also addresses the real problem.
Keep in mind
Compassion is not itself foolish, and the phrase must not justify withholding necessary support.
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