proverb · Words worth keeping
A promise is comfort to a fool.
A promise is comfort to a fool.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A promise giving comfort to a fool questions reassurance accepted before fulfilment is known. The saying distrusts words used in place of practical evidence.
What the words are saying
The insult is the saying’s judgment rather than proof that trusting someone is foolish. A responsible interpretation checks an assurance’s basis without blaming someone who was deceived. Some promises are credible, and hope can be reasonable when its uncertainty is recognised.
Everyday example
A reader asks what supports an assurance without belittling the person who trusted it.
When to use it
Use it critically to examine unsupported reassurance.
What it does not mean
Trust does not establish foolishness, and no universal unreliability of promises 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
United States
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 wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 140; PDF page 19; collection label: United States
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- United States