proverb · Words worth keeping
All promises are either broken or kept.
All promises are either broken or kept.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying divides promises into those kept and those broken. It directs attention from making a commitment to what follows it.
What the words are saying
The binary form gives fulfilment emphasis but leaves partial, changing or disputed commitments unexplained. A useful reading asks what was promised and what actually happened before assigning responsibility. The phrase does not determine intent or make every unmet expectation a broken promise.
Everyday example
Two people clarify the agreed commitment before discussing whether it was fulfilled.
When to use it
Use it to compare a specific promise with subsequent conduct.
What it does not mean
An unmet expectation is not automatically a promise broken or proof of bad intent.
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 506; PDF page 74
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.