
ProverbWisdom
English origin
The worth of a thing is best known by the want of it.
Meaning: Deprivation reveals true value; we recognize importance only through loss or scarcity.
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.
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