Business time fun hour meaning of the popular expression. “For business there is time, for fun there is an hour

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IN sayings and proverbs contain the wisdom of generations. Our ancestors often framed their thoughts in the form of an allegorical statement in order to preserve a legacy for their children and grandchildren. But over time, sayings often lose their meaning, remaining just an empty phrase that is present in the passive vocabulary of most people. Many people find it problematic to actively use them in speech due to lack of knowledge exact value, so people underestimate the role of such statements.

Based on the fact that, having studied detailed meaning a separate proverb can not only replenish your vocabulary, but also to learn something, I propose to understand the proverb - “There is time for work, there is an hour for fun.” After all, a phrase of several words formulates a specific thought that hides deep meaning, wisdom, a lesson or life experience.

The words mentioned above belong to the Russian prince of the Romanov dynasty, Alexei Mikhailovich. A deeply educated and highly intelligent man, he, without knowing it, uttered a truth that has become widespread and has retained its simple, but at the same time, to this day. brilliant meaning. After all, as you know, everything ingenious is simple. The meaning of the phrase is not at all that less time should be allocated to “fun” than to “business,” as it might seem. The word “hour” does not mean a smaller fraction; on the contrary, it can be equated with the word “time”. Using the synonymous words “time” and “hour,” Alexey Mikhailovich emphasizes: both should be given equal attention. Thus, he emphasized: it is important to plan your time correctly and not focus solely on one component of your routine.

In the twenty-first century, this saying is indeed one of the most relevant, since in the past the course of life was much more measured. Now people are in a hurry all the time, trying to meet deadlines and stay on schedule. It is very important for a modern person to be able to correctly create a daily routine, as this helps to keep up with everything, feel full and cheerful. Sometimes, plunged into a work routine and feeling responsible for the responsibilities assigned to ourselves, we neglect rest, assuring ourselves that now is not the right time. Other people, on the contrary, tend to succumb to laziness; it is difficult to concentrate on business when the temptation to be distracted by entertainment is so great. The first case will certainly lead to chronic fatigue, and the second - to complete idleness. Both options are unfavorable for us. This is precisely what words spoken many years ago warn about. There should be harmony in life: work will then be as productive as possible, and leisure will then bring pleasure when both factors are present and coexist equally.

Consequently, the etymology of this saying is noticeably different from others, which at first glance seem synonymous. For example: “If you’ve done the job, go for a walk” has a completely different essence, although it also applies to sayings designed to help us plan and distribute our time. If we formulate the meaning of the proverb in question in a few sentences, we can say the following. It is human nature to get carried away and focus on in a certain form activity, be it work or leisure - everyone has their own inclination. But wisdom says: there should be a natural balance in everything, and the daily routine is no exception.

You need to allocate equal amounts of time for leisure and work, not only in order to do everything on time and meet deadlines, but also to maintain your physical and mental health, that is, to keep your body and mind in good shape. It’s time for business to benefit society and oneself, develop existing skills and acquire new skills. Fun - an hour to give your body a break, nervous system, reason and reward yourself for the work done.

To summarize, we can definitely say that sometimes a simple proverb hides a much deeper, multifaceted meaning, and most importantly, one that can be beneficial for us. Therefore, it is very important to be able to learn from the experience of others, to take into account not only your own opinion, but also the truths tested by many generations of people. After all, this is their main purpose - to make our lives easier and to warn against possible mistakes.

“For business there is time, for fun there is an hour” is an excellent example of a proverb whose meaning has been unjustifiably forgotten. After detailed study, we understand that it is priceless in its uniqueness, and we should turn to it regularly in order to avoid disruption of the correct life regime. She teaches us not to deprive ourselves of all the delights of life, to value our time and manage it wisely.

On this page: the meaning (interpretation, explanation) of the proverb “For business there is time, for fun there is an hour.”

Good day, dear friends. In this article I will touch on the topic proverbs about time and sayings about time

As you know, everyone needs a watch; without them, our life would turn into chaos. When we make an appointment, we indicate at what time; when we go to the train, we also do so at a certain time; We go to work not when we wake up (although it would be nice), but at a certain time. Yes, in general, everything we do is related to the calculation of time. People have written a lot of sayings on the topic of time, which confirms the important role of time. Let's try to look at some of them.

Proverb time for business is time for fun. Teaches us that we don’t need to simply waste time. When you don't control your time, it will simply slip away from you. And in ancient times this proverb was especially important, since there was a lot of work. If you don’t sow on time and harvest on time, you will remain hungry. If you don't prepare firewood, you'll freeze. Therefore, it was necessary to clearly limit your time for entertainment. On the other hand, what is scarce is more valuable. That's why people had fun from the heart, with songs and dances. Following the proverb, time for business - time for fun, you can achieve a lot in life.

Proverb The century is long and the hour is dear. Also reminds us of the value of time. If you spend every hour usefully, then your whole life will be full. After all, as you know, the ruble consists of 100 kopecks. A life path consists of many steps (hours), where each hour is very important. As the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen teaches, constantly improve. By devoting even a few minutes every day to any task, you can achieve great success in it.

Proverb If you miss an hour, you won’t make it up in a year. Catch up here is used in the sense of catching up. Here attention is paid to the timeliness of each task. Sometimes you need to do something now, because later it will no longer be necessary. And no matter how hard you try, you can’t fix it.

Proverb: A promise is waited for three years.“Blessed is he who waits and reaches 1335 days” - a quote from the book of the prophet Daniel. 1335 days corresponds to three and a half years. Also, three years is the period during which you can still file a lawsuit against someone (Civil Code.) For example, to recover money lent, and therefore you can still wait and hope to return what was promised.

The proverb the snail moves, when it will happen. also has an indirect relation to time. everything comes to an end. Even when you move very slowly, you will still end up further than someone who is standing still.

Proverb: Every vegetable has its time. Don't rush things and don't miss opportunities. Do everything on time. In ancient Rus', this had a literal meaning, since people lived thanks to the harvest and knew exactly when and what needed to be collected.

The proverb the sun rises does not ask for hours. Everything in the world is subject to the laws of nature. And we need to live by these laws. Even if we have Bad mood or we don’t have time to do something, the sun will still rise as it should.

Here's more proverbs about time:

  • Better late than never
  • Money is lost - you will make money, time is lost - you will not get it back
  • Happy hours don't watch
  • Another time, another burden
  • Time gives the mind
  • You can't hold time with your hands
  • Every seed knows its time
  • Time is money
  • An hour is precious not because it is long, but because it is short.
  • What you miss, you won’t make up for in a year
  • A minute saves an hour
  • If you miss a minute, you lose an hour
  • The mind will come, but time will go

There are a great many proverbs and sayings. If you have anything to add about proverbs, do not waste time write in the comments. Good luck.

What is the origin of the proverb “Time for business, time for fun”? What does it mean? Who can you advise to follow this proverb?

Answers:

Currently, the meaning of the proverb is as follows: work and business must be given more time than relaxation and entertainment. This change in meaning occurred in the 19th century, when the conjunction “a” appeared, which radically changed the meaning of this proverb. Many sources indicate that the author of this proverb was Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, when in 1656, on his order, it was compiled collection book rules of falconry. Falconry was a popular pastime of the time. It was in this collection that Alexey Mikhailovich made a postscript in his own hand: “The book’s or his own addition: this is a parable of the soul and the body; do not forget truth and justice and merciful love and military formation: time for business and fun.” However, a similar model of a proverb could be found earlier, for example, at the beginning of the 17th century. the popular expression was used for singing time and hour for prayer and time for beauty along with time. As for the meaning of this proverb. The king did not even think of devoting just an hour of time to fun. Previously, the word “hour” meant time, and general meaning The proverb was as follows: “There is a time for everything: both business and fun.” And the tsar’s note reminded the hunters that, while getting carried away by fun, they should not forget about business - about serving the state. In my opinion, absolutely everyone should use this proverb. After all, if a student devotes his time only to fun, he will not have any prepared lessons; if a student has fun all the time and simply forgets about studying, he will be expelled from the institute; if a worker at work only amuses himself, he will be fired from work altogether. Thus, we can conclude that this proverb is important to all people on the planet.

There is time for work, an hour for fun - a Russian proverb meaning: You need to devote a lot of time to work (business), and much less to rest and entertainment (fun).

The proverb is listed in the book “Proverbs of the Russian People” (1853) by V.I. Dahl (section - “Games - Fun - Catching”).

It is believed that this proverb was introduced into wide circulation by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (1629 - 1676). So, in 1656, on his order, a Collection of falconry rules was compiled under the title “The Book of the Constable: a new code and arrangement of the rank of falconry” (first published in 1865 by P. Bartenev). At the end of the preface to the “Uryadnik”, the tsar made a note in his own hand: “The book’s preface or his own: this is a parable of the soul and the body; “Don’t forget truth and justice and merciful love and military formation: it’s time for business and fun.”

Now this proverb is understood as: business has time, but fun has only an hour of this time.

Serov V.V. in the book " Encyclopedic Dictionary catchwords and expressions,” 2003 writes that the Tsar had something else in mind: he simply wanted to say that you need to do business and pay attention to fun (rest), and also devote your time. And in order to avoid tautology, Alexey Mikhailovich found a synonym for the word “time” - the word “hour”, which in the Old Russian language also meant time (as it is now in modern Polish). The fact that “time” and “hour” are equivalent is shown by another place from the “Uryadnik”, where it is said: “Time along with and an hour for beauty...”, that is, you need to devote time to both. That is, the Tsar wanted to say that there is a time for everything, so that the readers of “Uryadnik”, carried away by the fun, do not forget about something else - about serving the state.

The proverb “Time for business, time for fun” is listed in M. I. Michelson’s Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (1904).

Images

Time for business, time for fun

Examples

Saltykov-Shchedrin Mikhail Evgrafovich

“Well-Intentioned Speeches,” 15: “Gorokhov... as head of the office... remembers very well wise saying: « business time - fun time". He had this saying in mind when he got married, namely: he asked for a twenty-eight-day vacation in order to devote this time entirely to fun, and then get down to business with a fresh head.”

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich

(“Uryadnik”): “ Time for work, time for fun«.

“Khutorok”: “There is grief - don’t worry, there is business - work; And I fell into an accident: “Have a good walk!”

Moscow words, catchphrases and popular expressions Vladimir Bronislavovich Muravyov

Time for business, time for fun

Time for business, time for fun

The meaning of this proverb, both when used in live speech and in literature, is quite definite. N. S. Ashukin in his reference book “Winged Words” (Moscow, 1966) gives two literary examples: from the memoirs of V.V. Veresaev, whose native language environment- the intellectual circle, and from an article by M. Gorky - the bearer of the folk, or rather common people, language element. These examples speak of a single, popular understanding of the meaning of the proverb.

Quote from “Memoirs” by V.V. Veresaev: “The teaching has begun - now you can’t go on a visit... We carried it out very strictly: time for business, but time for fun. IN study time- no entertainment, no guests.”

Quote from M. Gorky (article “On Anecdotes”): “It goes without saying that I am not against entertainment, but according to the conditions of our reality, entertainment needs to be limited: “there is time for business, and an hour for fun.”

The meaning of this proverb, which states that the main part of life should be devoted to business, and limited time to entertainment, is completely in the tradition of folk work morality. It stands in the same row as other proverbs about work cited by V. I. Dahl: “Go for a walk, go for a walk, but don’t forget about the work”, “Don’t feast on feasts if you sow grain”, “A small job is better than a lot of idleness” ...

But the saying of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich is a direct source and an almost complete copy folk proverb(they differ only in one letter) - has a different, almost directly opposite meaning, and, if we turn to the circumstances of the appearance of the royal " winged word", this becomes especially clear.

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was a passionate fan of falconry. WITH early spring to late autumn he went out into the field almost every day, that is, to hunt. In Rus', hunting, if it was not a trade, has long been called “fun.”

The royal falconry was well organized. More than three thousand birds of prey were kept in the “falcon farms” in the villages of Kolomenskoye and the village of Semenovskoye, and in the “falcon yards” in the settlement of Sokolniki. They were served by hundreds of falconer attendants. Huge amounts of money were spent on falconry. Birds were delivered from afar - from the Dvina, from Siberia, from the Volga, each bird was transported “with care” in a special cart, covered with felt.

The falconers' clothes and bird equipment were striking in their richness - gold embroidery, precious stones. Foreigners whom the king invited to hunt as a sign of special favor described it enthusiastically.

The most influential institution in the state, the Secret Order, was in charge of the royal hunt.

What great, one might say, national importance was attached to falconry at the court of Alexei Mikhailovich, says the Austrian envoy Meyerberg. One day he asked to show him the hunting gyrfalcons. Six months passed, the envoy lost hope that his request would be fulfilled, especially since they explained to him: birds are shown only to those close to them and those awarded special favor.

But six months later, says Meyerberg, “on Maslenitsa Sunday... our first bailiff suddenly came into our room and with great importance, as if there was some special matter, invited us to go to our secret office. Following us, the royal falconer appeared there with 6 falconers in precious decoration from royal clothes (meaning: granted by the king. - V.M.). Each of them has right hand there was a rich glove with gold trim, and on the glove sat a gyrfalcon. The birds had brand new silk caps (hoods) placed on their heads, and gold laces (debts) were tied to their left legs. The most beautiful of all the gyrfalcons was a light brown one, which had a sparkle on its right leg. gold ring with a ruby ​​of extraordinary size. The bailiff bared his head, took a scroll from his bosom and explained to us the reason for his arrival: that “the great sovereign, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (his full title followed), having learned about our desire to see his birds, out of love for his faithful brother - the Roman Emperor Leopold - sent 6 gyrfalcons to us for display."

In 1656, by order of the king, it was compiled detailed guide on falconry "The Book of the Verb Uryadnik: a new code and arrangement of the order of the falconer's way."

The "Uryadnik" describes various types and the rules of “red and glorious bird hunts” with gyrfalcons, falcons, coccyxes and other game birds. “Uryadnik” begins with an appeal to the reader-hunter:

“I pray and ask you, wise, noble and praiseworthy hunters, see enough of all good things; at first - deanery, glory, dispensation, ordering, falconer's rank beginner people and their birds, and the rank and file; then on the field be consoled and enjoy heartfelt consolation in time. And may your hearts be comforted, and may your thoughts be changed and not saddened by your sorrows and sorrows.

And this great fun of the field comforts sad hearts and amuses with joyful joy, and this bird prey makes the hunters happy. Immensely glorious and praiseworthy is the prey of the gyrfalcon. Cheliga is also amazing and comforting (cheliga is a male game bird. - V.M.) gyrfish prey. The dermliga is an amusing bird (the dermliga is a small bird from the genus of hawks, it is distinguished by its special excitement when hunting. - V.M.) climbing and mining. The flight of a high falcon is alert and joyful. Chelig's falcon is wise in its prey and flight. Koptsov’s prey and flight are also kind. To this day, catching hawks and hawks is kind and welcoming; prowling to the waters, access to the birds. The beginning of prey and all fishing is the reasoning of hunters from time to time; division for the birds - in prey. A reliable hunter has no reasoning about prey and fishing: there is always time and weather in the field.

Be eager, have fun, be comforted by this good fun, it is very amusing and pleasing and cheerful, so that all sorts of grief and sorrows do not overcome you. Choose days, travel often, let loose, hunt, be lazy and bored, so that the wise and red birds will not forget their prey.”

Alexey Mikhailovich agreed with what was written in the “Uryadnik”, because his passion for hunting and devotion to it knew no bounds. It is likely that the clerk, “the rank of the falconer’s path,” who wrote “The Constable,” simply repeated the words of the tsar and his statements from different times. The sovereign's letters are full of questions, orders, concerns and instructions regarding falconry.

In his heart, Alexey Mikhailovich himself believed that for hunting “there is always time and weather” and that you need to “go often” to hunt, as he usually did. But perhaps in “Uryadnik” - and what is written with a pen, as they say, cannot be cut out with an ax - the preference for hunting and fun over all other matters, including state affairs, was very obvious. Apparently, that’s why the tsar attributed (in the original manuscript of the “Uryadnik” the scribe indicated: “written by the hand of the Tsar’s Majesty”) his remarks, which he entitled: “Book or personal addition” (that is, his own, author’s teaching).

“Truth and justice, and merciful love, and military formation,” the tsar wrote, recalling his official duty, “never (don’t) forget: it’s time for business and time for fun.”

The meaning of Alexei Mikhailovich’s final statement is that it is necessary to do both hunting and business. Now the word “time” denotes a long period of time, and “hour” denotes a limited, small segment of it. In the 17th century, these words were synonymous (remnants of their synonymy have been preserved to this day, for example in the expression: “the time has come for something” - “the hour has come”). In addition, in the royal aphorism the equivalence of both its parts is indicated by the connecting conjunction “and”.

Considering royal hunting fun to be as important an activity as state affairs, Alexey Mikhailovich had some reason for this, since during the hunt, which was a ceremony of many hours or even days, unofficial meetings took place, private conversations were held, and issues not recorded in the protocol were resolved .

Although the book “Uryadnik” was handwritten and was used at court, its lists were quite widespread among the boyars and nobles who kept their own hunts, therefore the royal maxim was also well known in these circles.

Peter I, unlike his father, had a cool attitude towards hunting; under him, royal falconry fell into decline, and then never again occupied such a place in court life as under Alexei Mikhailovich.

However, his aphorism from “The Falconer’s Way Officer” continued to exist in folklore. Separated from the context, it lost its justification and a new understanding of it began.

“The Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language” by V. I. Dahl marked the first stage on the path of its new understanding. It started with the fact that the conjunction “and” was dropped; Dahl’s proverb was written without it: “Time for business, time for fun.”

Then - apparently, in mid-19th century - the union appears again, but it was no longer the same union, but another - not the connective “and”, but the adversative “a” - which consolidated and approved the new meaning of the proverb, which has become commonly used, that is, that more time should be devoted to the matter than fun.

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Imagine: you have to important task. Such that you have to work hard. But the most difficult thing is to start. There's still time. You're in no hurry. You are engaged in idle leisure. It’s like you’re relaxing, but without much pleasure.

After all, thoughts about the upcoming work are spinning in my head, taking me out of peace of mind and don't let you relax. And all because you had to listen to folk wisdom which the proverb contains "Time for business, time for fun".

The saying is used in an edifying context. In this case, the word “time” means the larger part, and “hour” means the smaller part. Thus, you need to spend more time on work than on entertainment. But the proverb consists of two halves. Many people mistakenly consider it a hymn to a workaholic, forgetting about the second part: “it’s time for fun.” To work without a break, as well as to rest without difficulty - the right way to self-destruction and health problems. We need to look for balance and harmony.

Let us pay attention to the order in which the parts of the expression are arranged. Business comes first, then fun. The idea is that you need to work hard, and then indulge in fun. In no case is it the other way around. Otherwise, it already looks like procrastination. It's more pleasant to rest when you're tired.

As a vivid illustration, let's look at a familiar example from student life. Many students prefer to spend the semester idly waiting for the session. And then in a few weeks they try to catch up. They urgently cram hundreds of pages of small text into their heads. They prepare thousands of cheat sheets, forgetting about sleep and food. A professor, putting a bad grade in a grade book, can rightfully say that the student neglected his work in favor of fun.

Origin of the proverb “Time for business, time for fun”

The history of the proverb originates in Rus'. Alexei Mikhailovich, a tsar from the Romanov dynasty, was a big fan of hunting. In 1656, his set of rules “Uryadnik” was published, where it is written: “... remember: time for business and time for fun.” “Fun” meant hunting with the help of falcons - the main entertainment of the noble class. But similar sayings already existed before this. The ruler only paraphrased them in the document to give the text artistic expressiveness.

The meaning of the proverb was originally different: both fun and work are equally necessary. “Time” and “hour” were then considered synonymous. They were used to avoid tautology - lexical repetition. Later, the conjunction “and” was replaced by “a”, which ensured the opposition of one to the other. It is also worth noting that in modern colloquial speech, the expression has become increasingly used without the conjunction “a” at all.

R Russian language is one of the most difficult and interesting languages peace. He is able to boast of many proverbs, sayings and aphorisms with deep meaning and interesting story. Proverbs of the Russian people - a treasury of folk wisdom accumulated over centuries - describe a variety of situations and are capable of giving wise advice in the most difficult issues of life.

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A large number of Russian proverbs are devoted to the topic of work: how to work correctly, how to achieve your goals, how to drive away laziness and cowardice from the body and soul. One of the most common proverbs from this piggy bank is “Time for business is time for fun.”

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Why are proverbs so popular?

Interesting question. After all, most people, unconsciously using these popular expressions, do not think about how ancient they can be, what a rich history is behind them. Proverbs are a significant part. They succinctly and intelligibly interpret simple (or not so simple) life situations, so they live in people's memory for centuries, preserving deep meaning. That is why a person, even ignorant of etymology (the origin of various components of language), hearing that, they say, there is time for business, and an hour for fun, understands everything without additional explanation.

Origin of the proverb

How did this interesting folk wisdom come into being, accompanying modern man since childhood? Who was the first to say this phrase? The history of this proverb is extremely interesting and educational.

In the 20th century, the proverb added popularity famous singer Alla Pugacheva, who released a famous pop song in 1985 - a hit, the author of the music for which was Raymond Pauls. But it’s clear: the history of the proverb is much older.

Many researchers cite the Russian autocrat Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, the parent of the great Russian Emperor Peter I. In 1656, a book was published about the rules of hunting with falcons, on the page of which the politician, who loved order in all spheres of life, wrote down this phrase. In Rus', since ancient times, hunting, which was not done for food or earnings, was called “fun.” And for the nobility, falconry in those years was one of the most popular types leisure Therefore, when the king spoke of “fun,” he meant precisely this entertainment.

The sovereign himself was passionate about falconry. Falconry for the king and his court retinue was an important event for which many people involved in this process had been preparing for a long time. On the territory of the “Falconer’s houses” in the suburbs of Sokolniki, as well as in the Semenovskoye and Kolomenskoye villages, more than thirty hundred feathered hunters lived and did not grieve. They were looked after by dozens of dozens of falconers, that is, ministers. Falcons were bought in Siberia, on the Volga River, and transported extremely carefully: they were transported one at a time in special carts covered with felt.

And the most influential of government departments, the Secret Order, was in charge of falconry and hunting affairs. This fact clearly confirms that during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, this fun was given, frankly, extremely high importance.

By the way, in that same book about the rules of falconry, the autocrat wrote down the proverb in a slightly different form than we are used to pronouncing now. Alexey Mikhailovich wrote “It’s time for business and an hour for fun,” and on at the moment The forms “Time for business, time for fun” or “Time for business, time for fun” are more often used. By using the conjunction “and,” the father of the state, who was passionate about hunting, wanted to show the equal value for a sane person of duties and hobbies, and also that one should find time and energy for both.

Only this approach to etymology famous saying too superficial. Research into deeper layers of history literary language proved that Alexey Mikhailovich was not the author of this phrase. Sayings of a similar meaning in those years were already firmly entrenched in the people's memory and had long been circulating among people in living speech. And the nationalities neighboring Russia also already had proverbs of this type. So, if the tsar had done such a thing in our time, he would have been severely condemned for obvious plagiarism. But in those days there was no concept of copyright, and it never concerned anyone - because how to find the author folklore work usually at least very difficult. The king inserted a proverb into the book simply to make it (the book) more colorful, more interesting, easier to understand and remember.

Of course, this act of the learned king had a positive impact on future fate proverbs: we can say that it is to this person that we owe the fact that folk wisdom not only has not been lost over the centuries, but has also begun to be used more widely than before.

However, let's still look deeper into history. In the 17th century, a couple more proverbs circulated among the people, built on the same model as ours under study. We are talking about “A time for song and an hour for prayer,” and “A time for dress and an hour for beauty.”

The folklore, and not the author's, origin of this phrase is also proven by the proverbs that were then prevalent among neighboring nations: “Time to work, time to eat,” “Time to work, time to play” (Czech); “A day for work, an hour for fun”, “Work first, and then play” (Bulgarian); Polish “There is a time for everything” and many other similar examples of folk wisdom. By the way, the proverb cited last, as a Polish one, is known to speakers of many other languages, which clearly speaks of the even greater antiquity of the saying and the universality of the meaning of these wise words.