proverb · Words worth keeping
Do not overstay/ outstay your welcome.
Do not overstay/ outstay your welcome.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The instruction warns against remaining as a guest beyond one’s welcome. It asks a stay to respect the host’s willingness and capacity.
What the words are saying
Welcome supplies the limit but gives no clock time or setting. A useful application can clarify plans and check whether an arrangement still suits everyone. The phrase should not be used to shame someone needing help or assume an unspoken wish is obvious.
Everyday example
A guest checks the agreed length of a visit instead of assuming the host’s capacity is unlimited.
When to use it
Use it to discuss clear, respectful expectations for a visit.
What it does not mean
The appropriate limit depends on the arrangement and should not be assumed without context.
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 252; PDF page 40
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.