proverb · Words worth keeping
Better go to bed supperless than to rise in debt.
Better go to bed supperless than to rise in debt.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying prefers missing supper to waking in debt. It expresses a strong aversion to owing, even at the cost of immediate comfort or provision.
What the words are saying
Bed and rise carry the consequence from one part of a day to the next. A critical reading can discuss commitments that extend beyond a present purchase while refusing to make hunger a moral duty. Whether borrowing is necessary or appropriate depends on circumstances that the proverb does not supply. Its stark preference is a viewpoint, not a complete financial rule.
Everyday example
Someone considers a nonessential purchase’s later obligations while making sure essential needs remain met.
When to use it
Use it to discuss the future burden of an optional commitment.
What it does not mean
It is not financial advice or a reason to deny food or essential support.
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
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1562 · Supperless
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English