proverb · Words worth keeping
Friends are thieves of time.
Friends are thieves of time.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying calls friends thieves of time. It presents social attention as taking time that could be spent elsewhere.
What the words are saying
The thief image may be humorous or critical, but it does not prove deception or waste. A useful interpretation considers a chosen balance between companionship and other commitments. Time with friends can be valuable rather than something stolen.
Everyday example
Someone discusses availability honestly instead of treating every invitation as a theft of their time.
When to use it
Use it to examine demands on attention with the value of friendship retained.
What it does not mean
Social time is not automatically wasted or taken without choice.
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 722; PDF page 104
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.