proverb · Words worth keeping
Poverty parteth good fellowship.
Poverty parteth good fellowship.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Lack of resources can strain or interrupt companionship. The saying recognises a practical pressure on social life rather than proving that affection is absent.
What the words are saying
Parting good fellowship pictures people being separated despite a connection that might otherwise continue. Costs, distance or differing circumstances can make meeting difficult or expose an unequal expectation. The expression can prompt people to consider what would make companionship accessible. It should not treat poverty as shameful or excuse friends who overlook someone’s needs. A useful reading recognises the barrier and looks for ways to preserve the bond, rather than assuming that material scarcity must always destroy it.
Everyday example
Friends choose a less costly way to meet so that someone with fewer resources is not left out.
When to use it
Use it to recognise a material barrier affecting a valued relationship.
What it does not mean
Companionship need not depend on spending, and shortage does not prove a lack of care.
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 1278 · Poverty
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English