proverb · Words worth keeping
We are both carriers, and shall meet on the road.
We are both carriers, and shall meet on the road.
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
People sharing a road may encounter one another again. The carriers’ expected meeting encourages attention to present conduct without guaranteeing a future reversal or repayment.
What the words are saying
The speaker places both people in the same occupation and on a route where another meeting is possible. Figuratively, a relationship may continue beyond the immediate transaction. Fair conduct should therefore not depend on believing an encounter is the last one. The possibility of meeting again is not a licence to threaten retaliation, and respect should not be reserved for useful future contacts. The image questions short-sighted treatment while leaving the actual future uncertain.
Everyday example
A volunteer treats a departing collaborator fairly rather than withholding credit because they may not work together on the next project.
When to use it
Use it to notice that an immediate encounter may be part of a continuing relationship.
What it does not mean
Do not turn a possible future meeting into a threat or make respect depend on future usefulness.
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 202; Spanish section, paragraph 4204; source wording: Arrieros somos, y en el camino nos encontraremos.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.