proverb · Source-linked selection
In wiving and thriving men should take counsel of all the world.
In wiving and thriving men should take counsel of all the world.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Important choices about partnership and livelihood can benefit from a range of advice. Consulting all the world exaggerates the value of hearing beyond one’s own view.
What the words are saying
The saying places marriage and material advancement among decisions worth discussing carefully. Its sweeping phrase need not mean asking everyone or treating every opinion as equally useful. Advice is most helpful when the speaker understands the situation and respects the people affected. The final choice still belongs to those responsible for it. A modern reading includes all partners and does not make marriage a transaction or allow outside opinion to override consent.
Everyday example
People considering a shared undertaking seek several informed perspectives and then make a decision together.
When to use it
Use it to encourage informed consultation before a consequential shared choice.
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What it does not mean
Advice should not override consent, privacy or the judgment of those directly affected.
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
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 321 · Counsel
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English