proverb · Words worth keeping
He who drinks when he is not dry, will be dry when he has no drink.
He who drinks when he is not dry, will be dry when he has no drink.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying warns that drinking without thirst may leave someone thirsty when no drink remains. Its sequence contrasts present use with later need.
What the words are saying
Not dry and no drink turn a present surplus into a possible future shortage. As an explicit analogy, using a resource unnecessarily now can leave less available when it is needed. The text does not establish a physiological rule about thirst or specify what is being drunk. A careful application focuses on the actual resource and circumstances.
Everyday example
A group avoids using all its materials for an optional task before considering the work that still needs them.
When to use it
Use it as a stated analogy about present use and later provision.
What it does not mean
The rhyme is not health guidance or a complete rule for managing supplies.
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
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 451 · Drink
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English