proverb · Source-linked selection
He loses his market who has nothing to sell.
He loses his market who has nothing to sell.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An available market is of little use to someone with nothing ready to offer. The contrast links an opening with the preparation needed to take part in it.
What the words are saying
The seller misses a market because there is nothing to sell. Figuratively, a chance can arrive before the relevant work, materials or service are ready. Consider whether preparation has kept pace with the opportunity. This is not evidence that every missed opening results from personal failure: access, timing and resources may be outside someone’s control. Nor is every person a product for sale. The image concerns readiness for a particular exchange, rather than a measure of human value.
Everyday example
A craft group checks which completed pieces can be taken to an event before promising a stall full of items that are still unfinished.
When to use it
Use it to connect a specific opportunity with the readiness needed to participate.
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What it does not mean
Do not blame every missed chance on the person or turn market participation into a measure of worth.
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 (Spanish-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 201; Spanish section, paragraph 4182; source wording: Aquel pierde venta que no tiene que venda.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.