Good harvests make men prodigal, bad ones provident.

Plenty can weaken restraint: when crops are abundant and food or income seems secure, people may spend freely, waste resources, or neglect preparations for leaner times. In its older wording, “men” is used generically for people, not only males.

Scarcity can encourage foresight. A poor harvest makes limited resources visible, prompting thrift, saving, careful allocation, and plans for uncertainty. The saying is a broad observation about contrasting pressures, not a rule that abundance or hardship produces the same response in everyone.

Use this proverb when contrasting the careless confidence that abundance may foster with the prudent habits that shortage may impose, especially in discussions of household budgets, supplies, or long-term planning. It is best used as a general observation, not as a judgment about every person facing prosperity or hardship.