proverb · Legacy record
Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.
Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying contrasts learning with wise companions and decline among people it calls fools. It emphasises the possible influence of company.
What the words are saying
The labels make the comparison judgmental. A useful reading considers what a particular relationship encourages without treating association as destiny or reducing people to insulting categories. The supplied average-of-companions claim is not a measured rule.
Everyday example
Someone considers whether a group encourages thoughtful discussion while judging participants by actual conduct.
When to use it
Use it to discuss social influence with labels and inevitability questioned.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
Companions do not mathematically determine a person or guarantee wisdom and decline.
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 554; PDF page 80
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.