- English translation
One beggar resents the other, and the householder resents them both.
- Literal wording
A beggar hates a beggar, and the owner of the house hates the two of them.
- Meaning and lesson
People who seek alms from the same limited source see one another as competitors; the beggar here is someone asking for alms, not simply a poor person. Each would rather the other go away, since every share the rival gets seems to reduce what is left.
The host or benefactor stands apart from this rivalry and finds both visitors equally burdensome. Their quarrel earns neither of them favour, because to the giver they are simply two demands on one household. A more widespread variant names a different needy figure with the same sense.
- When it is used
Use it when two people seeking the same favour or patron turn on each other, and the person they press tires of both. It is a wry remark, not advice; said about present individuals, it casts them as beggars and may insult.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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