- English translation
Care for those who care for you, and if someone wants to be far from you, put even more distance between you.
- Literal wording
Whoever wants you, want him; and whoever seeks distance from you, add to it for him.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying recommends matching your treatment of others to how they treat you. People who want you around and care for you, whether as friends, kin, or companions, deserve the same care in return, so goodwill should flow both ways.
The second half addresses rejection. If someone deliberately keeps away from you, do not chase them. Let the gap they opened grow wider and keep your dignity. This is advice to answer coldness with distance, not a call for revenge or harm.
- When it is used
Fits advice about friendships, family ties, or social circles when someone wonders whether to keep pursuing a person who has pulled away. It encourages returning warmth to those who offer it and letting go of those who choose distance, without seeking to harm them.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic, proverbial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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