proverb · Words worth keeping
It's good to be merry and wise.
It's good to be merry and wise.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Enjoyment and good judgement can go together. You can be cheerful or playful while still paying attention to your responsibilities and the effects on others.
What the words are saying
The saying joins two qualities that are sometimes treated as opposites. Merry suggests pleasure and sociability; wise suggests a sense of limits and consequences. The proverb recommends keeping both, so that a happy occasion does not depend on carelessness and sensible conduct does not require being permanently solemn. It can apply to a celebration, a shared joke or leisure within a busy life. Wisdom in this setting means making space for enjoyment that remains considerate and sustainable. It is not a demand to calculate every moment of fun or restrain harmless spontaneity.
Everyday example
Friends plan a lively evening together and agree how everyone will get home before they begin celebrating.
When to use it
Use it to encourage enjoyment that includes reasonable care and consideration.
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What it does not mean
Good judgement should support pleasure, not make every harmless activity feel like a test.
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 1069 · Merry
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English