proverb · Words worth keeping
He is called clever who cheats and plunders his friend.
He is called clever who cheats and plunders his friend.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Calling someone clever can hide the harm of exploiting a friend. Skill in obtaining an advantage does not make deception admirable or fair.
Example
A buyer boasts about concealing a known defect when selling equipment to a friend. Others refuse to praise the higher price as a clever deal.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The saying describes a disturbing choice of praise: the person who betrays a friend is treated as clever. Its critical reading asks what a community rewards and what that praise overlooks. An efficient trick may still damage trust and impose a loss on someone who relied on the relationship. Evaluate the method and its effects as well as the result. The proverb can expose admiration for successful wrongdoing without asserting that all cleverness is dishonest or that every advantageous agreement is exploitation.
When to use it
Use it to question praise that ignores how an advantage was obtained.
Keep in mind
A favourable outcome alone does not prove deception. Identify the misleading act or broken obligation before accusing someone.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown