- English translation
"Don't audit a partner you've had for a year." The answer came back: "Nor one you've had all your life."
- Literal wording
Partner of one year, you do not reckon accounts with him. He said: nor the partner of the entire lifetime.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying treats close reckoning between people who share a venture as a source of discord. Holding a partner to an exact tally of every gain and loss tends to provoke friction, so the opening line advises against auditing someone you are joined with, even briefly.
The reply, framed as a second speaker's answer, applies the same restraint to a lifelong partner. Read literally, it treats a long partnership as no protection against the strain of strict accounting. Whether that reply is earnest agreement or something sharper is not settled by the wording.
- When it is used
Suited to moments when partners begin disputing precise shares or demanding a full reckoning of each other's dealings, as a reminder that exacting audits tend to provoke conflict between those working together.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: "Don't audit a partner you've had for a year." The answer came back: "Nor one you've had all your life."