proverb · Words worth keeping
Though you are a prudent old man, do not despise counsel.
Though you are a prudent old man, do not despise counsel.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Prudence and age do not remove the value of listening to counsel. The address to an experienced person keeps room for another perspective without requiring every suggestion to be followed.
What the words are saying
The person addressed is already called prudent and old, so the advice does not begin by denying experience. Instead, it warns against letting an established judgement close the door to further input. Another person may notice a condition, error or possibility that familiarity has made easy to overlook. Consider the reasons offered and their relevance to the situation. Listening is not surrendering a decision, and neither age nor confidence proves a piece of counsel sound.
Everyday example
An experienced organiser asks a new participant to explain a confusing sign and changes it after seeing where the misunderstanding arises.
When to use it
Use it to keep experience open to relevant feedback and another perspective.
What it does not mean
Evaluate the counsel itself; listening need not mean accepting every suggestion or disregarding your experience.
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 (Spanish-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 204; Spanish section, paragraph 4231; source wording: Aunque seas prudente viejo, no desdeñes el consejo.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.