proverb · Words worth keeping
Make not thy friend too cheap to thee, nor thyself to thy friend.
Make not thy friend too cheap to thee, nor thyself to thy friend.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Do not treat a friend, or yourself within the friendship, as something of little value. Mutual respect helps prevent familiarity from becoming careless use of one another.
Example
Two friends agree to ask before borrowing each other’s tools and to return them promptly instead of assuming unlimited access.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Cheap here suggests undervalued or treated without regard, rather than inexpensive. The saying addresses both directions of a friendship: appreciate the other person and avoid accepting a position in which your own time, wishes or dignity are disregarded. It warns that familiarity can make generous help seem permanently available or taken for granted. The relationship is not a transaction in which every favour must be priced. Its useful standard is reciprocal consideration, including the ability to say no. Respect can remain warm and informal while acknowledging that neither friend is merely a convenient resource.
When to use it
Use it when familiarity is leading either person to take the other for granted.
Keep in mind
Mutual respect does not require keeping score, withholding kindness or proving your value through status.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their 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
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English