proverb · Words worth keeping
It is difficult to maintain honor, more so than to become prosperous.
It is difficult to maintain honor, more so than to become prosperous.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Maintaining honour described as harder than becoming prosperous contrasts continuing integrity with acquiring success. The saying asks what conduct sustains a valued reputation.
What the words are saying
The comparison is evaluative rather than a measured universal difficulty. A useful reading distinguishes wealth or recognition from fair action over time. Honour should not become an excuse for coercion or status-based judgment, and a person’s material circumstances do not prove their character.
Everyday example
Someone keeps a fair commitment even when an easier choice would improve their standing.
When to use it
Use it to discuss sustained integrity without ranking worth by wealth or reputation.
What it does not mean
No universal difficulty comparison or moral authority from reputation 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
Ireland
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 836; PDF page 74; collection label: Ireland
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Ireland