proverb · Words worth keeping
Friendship is like money, easier made than kept.
Friendship is like money, easier made than kept.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes friendship like money: easier to gain than retain. It gives maintaining a connection a different challenge from beginning one.
What the words are saying
The comparison values continued care without measuring how easy either task is. A useful interpretation considers contact and mutual support rather than treating friends as possessions or demanding that every relationship continue. Some changes or endings can be appropriate.
Everyday example
Two friends discuss how to stay in touch in a way that suits their circumstances.
When to use it
Use it to discuss maintaining connection without ownership implied.
What it does not mean
Friendship is not property, and its continuation is not always required.
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 proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 681; PDF page 98
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.