proverb · Words worth keeping
Prosperity gains friends, adversity tries them.
Prosperity gains friends, adversity tries them.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Success may attract companions, while difficulty reveals how dependable those relationships are. Notice who offers fair and considerate support when circumstances become less rewarding.
What the words are saying
The contrast is between gaining attention in prosperity and discovering its quality in adversity. When things go well, social company can be easy to find because there is pleasure, opportunity or advantage nearby. A setback may reveal whether that company includes concern for the person. The saying is a warning about judging closeness too quickly, not a rule that every absent friend is false. Someone may face their own limits or express care differently. Its useful question is whether a pattern of conduct shows genuine regard, rather than whether a person passes an unannounced test.
Everyday example
When a project closes, former collaborators who no longer benefit from it still check in and share suitable opportunities with its organiser.
When to use it
Use it to reflect on patterns of friendship across success and setbacks.
What it does not mean
Do not manufacture crises to test people or judge loyalty without considering their circumstances and capacity.
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 1301 · Prosperity
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English