proverb · Words worth keeping
Share and share alike.
Share and share alike.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Distribute a shared benefit on equal terms where equal shares are appropriate. The repeated phrase emphasises a common entitlement rather than special preference.
Example
People with equal claims to a shared supply agree on equal portions and explain that arrangement openly.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The saying asks participants to receive the same kind of treatment in division. It can be useful when a group has agreed that a resource belongs equally to everyone. Equality of shares is not always the whole of fairness: needs, contributions and prior agreements may differ. A careful application makes the basis explicit instead of assuming that identical portions settle every question.
When to use it
Use it when equal entitlement is the agreed basis for dividing a resource.
Keep in mind
Fairness may require attention to different needs or agreements rather than identical portions.
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