ProverbMorality
English origin
English originBetter be alone than in bad company.
Meaning: Solitude preserves your integrity better than compromising yourself through associations with those who corrupt or harm you.
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.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and Dutch
French: Mieux vaut être seul que mal accompagné (literally: Better to be alone than badly accompanied)
Spanish: Más vale solo que mal acompañado (literally: Better alone than in bad company)
Japanese: 朱に交われば赤くなる (Shu ni majiwareba akaku naru) (literally: If you mix with vermilion, you turn red)
German: Besser allein als in schlechter Gesellschaft (literally: Better alone than in bad company)
Italian: Meglio soli che male accompagnati (literally: Better alone than in bad company)
Dutch: Beter alleen dan kwalijk vergezeld (literally: Better alone than badly accompanied)
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