proverb · Words worth keeping
A promise is a cloud; fulfillment is rain.
A promise is a cloud; fulfillment is rain.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A promise as cloud and fulfilment as rain contrast a sign of possibility with its realised effect. The saying values completion over assurance alone.
What the words are saying
The weather image is not a forecast rule. A useful interpretation checks whether a commitment is fulfilled and what conditions remain, without adopting the supplied claim that actions mean everything. Words, intentions and circumstances can also provide relevant evidence; an unmet promise does not settle every aspect of a person’s character.
Everyday example
Someone distinguishes a stated commitment from the completed work that the agreement actually requires.
When to use it
Use it to explain the assurance-and-fulfilment contrast.
What it does not mean
No weather prediction or complete character judgment from a single action is established.
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 962; PDF page 134
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.