proverb · Words worth keeping
The bird ought not to soil its own nest.
The bird ought not to soil its own nest.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying tells a bird not to soil its own nest. As an analogy, avoid damaging a place or relationship on which you also depend.
What the words are saying
The nest makes shared or personal surroundings concrete. A responsible application identifies actual harm instead of using the image to suppress criticism of a household, group or institution. Pointing out a problem can help protect a shared setting, and loyalty does not require concealing it.
Everyday example
Members of a group address a damaging practice openly rather than treating every criticism as disloyalty.
When to use it
Use it to examine care for shared surroundings without silencing needed criticism.
What it does not mean
Criticism is not automatically damage, and shared membership does not excuse wrongdoing.
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 proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 436; PDF page 65
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.