proverb · Words worth keeping
The longest way round is the sweetest way home.
The longest way round is the sweetest way home.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying calls the longest way round the sweetest way home. It values the experience or result of an indirect route over choosing only the shortest distance.
What the words are saying
Sweetest is a judgment of satisfaction, not a measured travel advantage. A useful application can discuss a worthwhile detour or thorough process without assuming that delay is always better. The destination remains home, so the longer route has value in relation to what someone seeks.
Everyday example
Someone chooses a pleasant route home when the extra time fits their circumstances.
When to use it
Use it to discuss when a detour or fuller process is worthwhile.
What it does not mean
A longer route is not always preferable, safer or more effective.
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 61; PDF page 12
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.