proverb · Legacy record
Confiding a secret to an unworthy person is like carrying grain in a bag with holes in it.
Confiding a secret to an unworthy person is like carrying grain in a bag with holes in it.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A secret given to an unworthy person compared with grain in a holed bag pictures information escaping an entrusted container. The saying asks whether confidentiality is supported by the arrangement.
What the words are saying
A responsible reading evaluates relevant conduct rather than assigning someone a fixed inferior identity. A useful application can clarify what is private and what may be shared. Confidentiality does not require hiding harm or prevent someone seeking necessary support.
Everyday example
Someone agrees on confidentiality with a trusted collaborator while allowing appropriate help for a serious concern.
When to use it
Use it to discuss trust in disclosure without compulsory concealment.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
No permanent human unworthiness or duty to conceal harmful conduct 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
- 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 wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 571; PDF page 53; collection label: Assyria/Ethiopia
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Assyria/Ethiopia