A thin meadow is soon mowed.
Meaning: Shallow resources or modest wealth deplete quickly when demands persist.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Wisdom
- With what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again. — Treat others as you wish to be treated; your actions return to you in equal measure.
- He measures your corn by his bushel. — People judge others' actions using their own standards as the measure, not objective trut…
- Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again. — Parting on good terms preserves relationships, allowing joyful reunion rather than perman…
- A pennyworth of mirth is worth a pound of sorrow. — Small moments of joy provide disproportionate relief from accumulated grief and hardship.
- A little mischief is too much. — Even small wrongdoings corrupt character and inevitably lead to greater transgressions if…
- Mischiefs come by the pound and go away by the ounce. — Problems accumulate quickly through negligence but dissolve only through sustained, delib…
From our tongue twisters
- Seize chaises sèches sur seize arches sèches. — A relentless collision of 'sei', 'sèch', and 's' — the tongue can't find traction.
- Un beau ver vert dans un verre vert verra un ver vert. — Ver (worm), vert (green), and verre (glass) are near-homophones — distinguishing them at…
- Didon dîna, dit-on, du dos d'un dodu dindon dont le dodu dos dodine. — A 'd' / 'din' / 'dod' avalanche that seems designed to jam the tongue in third gear.