proverb · Legacy record
Do not wear out your welcome.
Do not wear out your welcome.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Wearing out a welcome compares hospitality with something that can be exhausted. It asks a guest to consider when their presence has become burdensome.
What the words are saying
The supplied gloss distinguishes length of stay from frequency of visits. A useful reading considers the host’s stated needs and the shared arrangement rather than guessing at resentment. Welcome is contextual, and the image does not make needing shelter or support a moral failing.
Everyday example
A guest checks whether the agreed visit length still suits the host and discusses any needed change.
When to use it
Use it to discuss hospitality, duration and mutual expectations.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
No fixed visit limit is established, and needing support does not itself make a person unwelcome.
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 829; PDF page 117
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.