proverb · Words worth keeping
Nice words are not nourishing to a starving belly.
Nice words are not nourishing to a starving belly.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Pleasant words not feeding a starving belly contrast reassurance with an unmet material need. The saying asks whether help is practical as well as kind.
What the words are saying
A responsible reading values considerate communication without treating it as a substitute for resources. The image supplies no nutrition or treatment rule and does not blame the person in need. A useful application listens to actual requirements and offers feasible assistance without making praise or gratitude a condition.
Everyday example
Someone accompanies kind words with practical support that fits the expressed need.
When to use it
Use it to distinguish reassurance from material assistance.
What it does not mean
No medical guidance or lack of value in all considerate speech 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
- 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 wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 935; PDF page 82; collection label: Transylvania Province of Romania
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Transylvania Province of Romania