proverb · Source-linked selection
There's nothing agrees worse than a proud mind and a beggar's purse.
There's nothing agrees worse than a proud mind and a beggar's purse.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A demand for status can conflict painfully with limited resources. The saying exposes that tension but should not be used to deny dignity to people in need.
What the words are saying
The proud mind and empty purse are pictured as an ill-matched pair. It may criticise pretence that requires spending beyond what someone can support, or describe the humiliation created by rigid expectations of rank. A careful reading distinguishes boastful display from self-respect. People with few resources are entitled to dignity, independence and fair treatment; modest means do not make confidence inappropriate.
Everyday example
Someone declines an expensive display expected by acquaintances and keeps their self-respect without pretending to have more resources.
When to use it
Use it to question status expectations that conflict with actual means.
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What it does not mean
Poverty does not make dignity or confidence improper.
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 1302 · Proud mind
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English