proverb · Words worth keeping
Cleanliness is next to Godliness.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying places cleanliness next to godliness. It gives being clean a moral or religious association.
What the words are saying
Next to expresses esteem rather than proving that physical cleanliness reveals spiritual worth. A critical reading separates a valued practice from judgment of people’s access to resources or circumstances. The phrase supplies neither a medical rule nor a verified religious origin.
Everyday example
A reader recognises the moral association without judging someone’s character from appearance alone.
When to use it
Use it to examine an association between cleanliness and virtue critically.
What it does not mean
Cleanliness does not establish moral worth or a universal religious requirement.
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 738; PDF page 106
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.