proverb · Words worth keeping
Lowly sit and be richly warm.
Lowly sit and be richly warm.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A modest position can offer comfort without the demands of display. Sitting low and being warmly provided contrast status with actual ease.
What the words are saying
The saying sets an outwardly humble place beside a rich experience of warmth. The contrast suggests that looking important is not the same as being comfortable or secure. It can encourage someone to value a workable, unshowy arrangement over a prestigious one that creates strain. Its point is not that people should accept imposed subordination or deprivation. A useful reading concerns a choice between appearances and a real benefit, made by the person who will live with that choice.
Everyday example
Someone chooses a simple, welcoming place to stay rather than a showier option that feels uncomfortable.
When to use it
Use it to appreciate comfort that does not depend on visible status.
What it does not mean
Modesty should not be used as a reason to deny people dignity or fair opportunities.
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 1011 · Lowly sit
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English