proverb · Source-linked selection
'Tis a good horse that never stumbles, and a good wife that never grumbles.
'Tis a good horse that never stumbles, and a good wife that never grumbles.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying imagines exceptional reliability through a horse that never stumbles and a wife who never complains. Its standard of perfect performance and silence needs questioning.
What the words are saying
Two absences of difficulty are presented as marks of goodness. The comparison can recognise that faults and frustrations are common, but it should not demand faultlessness or praise a partner for withholding legitimate concerns. A useful reading allows mistakes to be addressed and complaints to be heard fairly. Conduct matters more than an ideal of someone who never inconveniences another person.
Everyday example
Partners discuss a recurring problem respectfully instead of treating the person who raises it as a bad spouse.
When to use it
Use it critically to examine unrealistic expectations of reliability or silence.
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What it does not mean
Mistakes do not erase worth, and expressing a legitimate concern is not a failure of partnership.
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 1553 · Stumbles
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English