- English translation
If someone has given you up, give them up too and spare yourself the heartache; even if you are dying of thirst, don't go to their water.
- Literal wording
Whoever sells you, sell him and rest from the grief he causes you; and if you are thirsty, do not go down to drink at his sea.
- Meaning and lesson
If someone has shown they no longer value you, the proverb says to give them up in the same way. Here 'selling' is figurative, meaning dropping someone, not trade. Releasing them is presented as relief, because clinging to an unwilling friend brings only resentment and heartache.
The second half adds a point about pride. Even when you badly need something, do not go to the water of the person who cast you off, whether sea or river. Asking a deserter for help would cost more dignity than the need itself.
- When it is used
Use this when someone has dropped a friendship or treated a person as disposable. It advises letting them go calmly, without retaliation or harm, and refusing to ask them for anything later, even when in real need.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: If someone has given you up, give them up too and spare yourself the heartache; even if you are dying of thirst, don't go to their water.