proverb · Words worth keeping
Forsake not the market for the toll.
Forsake not the market for the toll.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Do not abandon a worthwhile opportunity solely because of a smaller necessary cost. The toll pictures a limited expense on the way to a larger purpose.
Example
A group considers whether a modest printing cost is justified by the usefulness of materials for an already planned free event.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The saying asks the reader to compare the obstacle with the benefit of reaching the market. It can discourage a false economy in which avoiding a modest cost prevents something more valuable. Yet a cost that seems small to one person may be unaffordable to another, and the expected benefit may be uncertain. A careful application checks both sides rather than assuming that every fee should be paid.
When to use it
Use it to compare a particular cost with a worthwhile, realistic benefit.
Keep in mind
A cost may be unaffordable or unjustified; this is not a rule to accept every fee.
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