proverb · Words worth keeping
Hunger makes short devotion.
Hunger makes short devotion.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An immediate bodily need can make it harder to stay absorbed in a devotional practice. The saying contrasts urgent hunger with the attention given to prayer.
What the words are saying
Short devotion pictures a practice cut brief because another concern presses on the person. The line can be read as a reminder that spiritual activity takes place within ordinary human circumstances, rather than apart from them. It may encourage consideration for those whose needs interrupt an expected routine. It does not establish that hungry people lack faith or that a chosen fast prevents devotion. The practical emphasis is compassion about circumstances instead of judging commitment only by the length of a ceremony or prayer.
Everyday example
A group adjusts a gathering so that participants can attend to an immediate need without being reproached for leaving early.
When to use it
Use it to acknowledge circumstances that can interrupt concentration or a religious routine.
What it does not mean
Length of observance is not a reliable measure of faith or sincerity.
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 822 · Hunger
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English