- English translation
Goods you would leave in another's keeping are better sold.
- Literal wording
Property you would deposit [with someone], sell it.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying advises against leaving tangible possessions, such as merchandise or livestock rather than cash, with another person for safekeeping. A custodian rarely tends someone else's goods or animals as carefully as the owner would. Items left in that kind of indifferent care can spoil, sicken, or vanish, so their value quietly drains away while the owner is absent.
The practical lesson is to turn idle holdings into something you control directly. If you cannot keep and look after a thing yourself, sell it and put the money to use, rather than gamble on another's diligence. It favors realistic, self-reliant management of property over hopeful dependence on others.
- When it is used
Fits advice to someone about to leave animals or goods with a relative, neighbor, or acquaintance for a long time. The speaker suggests selling instead and using the proceeds, since stored possessions may be neglected and lost. This is about informal safekeeping, not banking or investing.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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