proverb · Legacy record
It is better to put up with a bad donkey than to carry the wood by yourself.
It is better to put up with a bad donkey than to carry the wood by yourself.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An unsatisfactory donkey preferred to carrying wood oneself contrasts imperfect help with a task done unaided. The saying asks what support still contributes.
What the words are saying
The animal image supplies no handling guidance and its precise context is unverified. A qualified human application compares feasible arrangements without reducing people to tools or requiring someone to accept exploitation or mistreatment. Imperfection is different from harm, and fair alternatives may exist.
Everyday example
A team considers whether imperfect assistance still helps while keeping responsibilities and treatment fair.
When to use it
Use it as a qualified imperfect-support comparison with limits retained.
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What it does not mean
No animal guidance or duty to accept harmful assistance 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
Spain
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 888; PDF page 79; collection label: Spain
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Spain