Trash and trumpery is the highway to beggary.
Meaning: Frivolous spending on worthless goods inevitably leads to financial ruin and poverty.
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 Wisdom
- When two ride together one must ride behind. — Hierarchies emerge naturally when people work jointly; someone must defer or follow the o…
- Let the best dog leap the stile first. — Merit should determine priority; the most capable should lead the way.
- The better the day, the better the deed. — Good fortune amplifies moral responsibility—prosperity demands virtue, not vice.
- Every bird must hatch her own egg. — Each creature bears sole responsibility for nurturing what they themselves have created o…
- One beats the bush and another catcheth the bird. — One person's labor enables another's gain, rewarding the opportunist over the worker.
- Even small birds must have meat. — The poorest among us require sustenance and dignity, not merely scraps or leftovers.
From our idioms
- ตำน้ำพริกละลายแม่น้ำ — To squander resources for nothing.
- Cõng rắn cắn gà nhà — To bring in an outsider who harms your own people.
- Ăn cơm nhà vác tù và hàng tổng — To do thankless public work at your own expense.