proverb · Words worth keeping
Better poor with honour than rich with shame.
Better poor with honour than rich with shame.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Material advantage may not be worth gaining through conduct that brings shame or harms others. The saying places integrity above wealth, rather than treating money as the only measure of a good life.
Example
A seller declines to conceal a known defect to obtain a higher price, even though the honest sale will bring in less.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The contrast asks what is lost when riches are obtained at the expense of honour. Honour here concerns integrity and conduct that a person can reasonably stand behind, not merely a prestigious reputation. The proverb suggests that dishonest advantage can leave a person worse off in a meaningful sense even when their possessions increase. It should not romanticise poverty or imply that hardship is evidence of virtue. Its useful purpose is to question a proposed gain and the means of getting it. Material needs matter, but they do not make every profitable action worthy of approval.
When to use it
Use it when a material gain would require dishonesty or unacceptable treatment of others.
Keep in mind
Poverty is not inherently noble, and concern for integrity should not dismiss the need for adequate living conditions.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their 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
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English