People are sometimes better contented full than fasting.

Physical comfort can make satisfaction easier. The proverb contrasts having enough to eat with the discomfort of hunger, while allowing that this is not always so.

It can also temper claims about contentment: being pleased with one's lot may be less difficult when a basic need has already been met.

Use it when discussing how hunger or material comfort affects someone's outlook, especially if a person praises contentment while enjoying comforts that someone else lacks.