proverb · Legacy record
Friendship in days of prosperity is servitude forever; friendship in the day of trouble is posterity for the future.
Friendship in days of prosperity is servitude forever; friendship in the day of trouble is posterity for the future.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Friendship during prosperity contrasted with friendship in trouble gives the two settings sharply different consequences. The saying associates the latter with a lasting future value.
What the words are saying
The unusual servitude and posterity wording leaves the precise traditional relation unverified. A qualified reading can value support in difficulty without declaring ordinary friendship exploitative or turning help into debt. Friends retain boundaries, and one response does not settle the whole relationship.
Everyday example
Someone appreciates support during difficulty without treating it as ownership of their future choices.
When to use it
Use it only as a qualified friendship-and-circumstances comparison.
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What it does not mean
No definitive traditional interpretation or permanent obligation from friendship is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or 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
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 486; PDF page 46; collection label: Babylon/Iraq
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Babylon/Iraq