He who gets four pounds and spends five has no need of a purse.

Meaning: Spending beyond one's means makes financial planning irrelevant; the purse empties regardless of its quality.

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 Perseverance

From our untranslatable words

  • Merak — An intense, almost obsessive intellectual curiosity — not idle interest, but a passionate…
  • Philotimo — A deep-rooted sense of dignity, generosity, and virtue — doing the right thing out of lov…
  • Flemme — A total absence of motivation to do anything — a profound, almost existential reluctance…

Browse all untranslatable words →

← Back to Proverbs