IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchQui paye ses dettes s'enrichit
Meaning: Settling what you owe leaves you better off than owing it.
Literally: He who pays his debts grows richer
Example: “Rembourse ton frère maintenant ; qui paye ses dettes s'enrichit.” — Pay your brother back now; clearing your debts leaves you better off.
Origin: A proverb of practical bourgeois morality: the debt is a claim on future earnings, so clearing it converts an obligation into ownership. It is often quoted ruefully by the person doing the paying.
More French idioms
- Qui dort dîne Sleep takes the place of a meal you cannot afford.
- Se la couler douce To take life very easy indeed.
- Des mesures draconiennes Punishingly severe rules.
- Péter une durite To lose one's temper completely.
- À l'eau de rose Insipidly sentimental, especially of fiction.
- L'échapper belle To have a narrow escape.
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