proverb · Words worth keeping
Better a polite refusal than a worthless promise.
Better a polite refusal than a worthless promise.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A polite refusal preferred to a worthless promise values an honest limit over an assurance that cannot be relied upon. The saying connects care with clarity.
What the words are saying
A useful reading distinguishes a respectful no from an empty commitment. It does not excuse deliberate failure to meet an existing responsibility or imply that polite language alone makes a refusal fair. Context, actual obligations and the consequences for others still matter.
Everyday example
Someone declines a new request clearly rather than promising help they cannot provide.
When to use it
Use it to support honest limits and dependable commitments.
What it does not mean
No fairness guaranteed by politeness or release from existing obligations 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
Germany
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 797; PDF page 71; collection label: Germany
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Germany