proverb · Source-linked selection
A lawsuit for a maravedi consumes a real’s worth of paper.
A lawsuit for a maravedi consumes a real’s worth of paper.
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
The effort spent pursuing a small dispute can exceed what is at stake. The two money names and the paper image direct attention to the cost of the process, not only the disputed amount.
What the words are saying
The lawsuit concerns a small sum, but its paper consumes a larger value in the saying’s comparison. The point is the disproportion between an object and the resources spent pursuing it. Consider time, attention and continuing conflict as well as visible expense. This does not establish historical exchange rates or advise abandoning a legal claim. Some apparently small disputes involve an important principle or wider harm. Evaluate the actual stakes and available ways of resolving them.
Everyday example
Two club members compare the disputed fee with the hours spent arguing and agree to check the original record together.
When to use it
Use it to question whether a dispute’s process is proportionate to its stakes.
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What it does not mean
This is a literary comparison, not legal advice or a historical currency calculation.
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 198; Spanish section, paragraph 4129; source wording: A maravedi de pleyto, real de papel.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.