ProverbHub
English · Latin scriptProverb: Verified

The liberal man deviseth liberal things.

Meanings

Each meaning is reviewed on its own.

Meaning: Verified
Meaning and lesson

A generous person does not merely give when prompted. Their plans, choices, and aims are shaped from the outset by a willingness to benefit others.

Here “liberal” has the older sense of open-handed or bountiful, not a political label. “Deviseth” is an archaic form of “devises”: the saying links generosity of disposition with what a person deliberately plans or conceives.

When it is used

Use it to commend generosity as a settled habit of mind, especially when someone designs a plan with others’ welfare in view. Its archaic phrasing suits reflective, literary, or formal contexts more than ordinary conversation.

Cite or copy proverb