proverb · Words worth keeping
Where honour ceaseth, there knowledge decreaseth.
Where honour ceaseth, there knowledge decreaseth.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
When worthwhile learning loses respect, people may have less reason or opportunity to pursue it. The saying connects recognition with the conditions that sustain knowledge.
What the words are saying
Honour is presented as a support for knowledge: when it ends, knowledge diminishes. This can prompt attention to whether a community values careful inquiry and those who contribute to it. Respect need not mean uncritical deference to a title or institution. Learning can continue without public acclaim, and prestigious work can be mistaken. The useful reading concerns the encouragement and conditions for inquiry, rather than a rule that status proves truth.
Everyday example
A group recognises careful research as well as confident presentations so that patient investigation is not overlooked.
When to use it
Use it to discuss how a community encourages serious learning.
What it does not mean
Prestige does not establish truth, and learning can flourish outside recognised institutions.
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 797 · Honour
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English