proverb · Words worth keeping
A little good is soon spent.
A little good is soon spent.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A small store of something useful can be exhausted quickly. The saying draws attention to scale and the need to notice how much is available.
What the words are saying
Little good is pictured as a limited resource that disappears through use. The phrase can describe money, supplies, time or a modest opportunity, depending on the situation. Its point is that something welcome may not last if its size is forgotten. It can encourage proportionate planning without turning every use into a mistake: resources often exist to be used. A careful application compares the actual amount with the purpose it must serve and avoids treating scarcity as a moral failing.
Everyday example
A group spreads a small supply of materials across the tasks it most needs to complete.
When to use it
Use it to recognise the limits of a modest resource or opportunity.
What it does not mean
Using a resource is not inherently wasteful, and scarcity is not proof of poor judgment.
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
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 973 · Little good
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English