Trade knows neither friends nor kindred.
Meaning: Business transactions dissolve personal loyalties; profit motives override familial bonds and friendship.
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
- Fall not out with a friend for a trifle. — Friendships are too valuable to sacrifice over minor disagreements or petty disputes.
- He who seeketh trouble never misseth it. — Persistent negativity and conflict-seeking behavior inevitably attract the very problems…
- Trust in God, and keep your powder dry. — Maintain faith while preparing pragmatically for conflict; spiritual confidence shouldn't…
- Try your friend before you trust him. — Test a person's character through small, low-stakes interactions before depending on them…
- If things were to be done twice, all would be wise. — Hindsight reveals mistakes, but life allows no rehearsals—act carefully the first time.
- Never carry two faces under one hat. — Duplicity and hypocrisy inevitably expose themselves; maintaining contradictory personas…
From our idioms
- out of the blue — Suddenly and unexpectedly.
- out of the woods — Out of danger; out of a very difficult situation.
- over the top — Beyond expectations; outside normal or accepted boundaries; exaggerated.