Spend and be free, but make no waste.
Meaning: Generous spending brings joy and liberation, yet prudent choices prevent squandering resources needed later.
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
- To a good spender God is the treasurer. — Generous people who give freely find their resources mysteriously replenished by providen…
- You may know by a penny how a shilling spends. — Small habits reveal larger character; minor expenditures expose how someone manages great…
- It is the thrift of a spendthrift which ruins him most effectually. — Excessive caution about isolated expenses blinds wastrels to their broader financial dest…
- Keep me from still water; from that which is rough I can keep myself. — Stagnation breeds invisible danger while active struggle naturally sharpens survival inst…
- With stomach, wife, and conscience keep on good terms. — Neglecting basic needs—nourishment, domestic harmony, and moral integrity—invites interna…
- Morning is the time for study. — Studying when mentally fresh at dawn yields better comprehension than attempting learning…
From our idioms
- hard row to hoe — A difficult task.
- have it made — To have no problems; to have achieved success.
- hear something through the grapevine — To hear a rumor that may or may not be true.