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: From 'A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases' (1870). Public domain.

More proverbs about Wisdom

• For want of a nail the shoe is lost; for want of a shoe the horse is lost; for want of a horse the rider is lost. — Small negligences compound catastrophically; ignoring minor problems cascades into comple…
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• Let the weakest go to the wall. — The vulnerable are sacrificed first when resources or power become scarce or contested.
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• Their folly pleads the privilege of wealth. — Wealth allows the foolish to escape natural consequences that would humble ordinary peopl…

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