proverb · Words worth keeping
Saving is getting.
Saving is getting.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Avoiding an unnecessary loss can preserve resources just as acquiring more can increase what is available. The saying treats careful retention as a form of gain.
What the words are saying
Saving and getting are made equivalent to draw attention to what remains after a choice. It can encourage using an existing resource well or declining a needless expense. Yet keeping something is not always better than using, sharing or replacing it. A careful application considers the purpose of the resource and what the apparent saving costs in effort or usefulness. It does not promise wealth from thrift alone.
Everyday example
A group reuses suitable materials already on hand instead of buying replacements it does not need.
When to use it
Use it to notice resources preserved by avoiding an unnecessary expense or loss.
What it does not mean
Saving does not guarantee prosperity, and useful spending or generosity can be worthwhile.
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 1392 · Saving
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English