Meaning & Analysis
The intense and insatiable desire for more (especially wealth or possessions) ultimately yields no actual gain or reward.
Insights
The Self-Defeating Nature of Greed
The proverb warns that the all-consuming pursuit of more often leads to reckless actions that result in losing what one already possesses. Greed is inherently self-destructive and counter-productive.
Spiritual and Emotional Emptiness
Beyond material gain, 'home' symbolizes a place of spiritual and emotional fulfillment. Covetousness yields nothing of true value, leaving an individual morally and emotionally empty, alienated from the relationships and contentment that constitute a true 'home'.
The Paradox of Acquisition
The proverb illustrates that a mindset focused on acquisition is inherently unstable. The desire itself prevents satisfaction, meaning that no matter what is gained, it never feels like enough to be 'brought home' and enjoyed.
Fable of the Dog and his Reflection
The proverb is powerfully illustrated by the fable of the dog and his reflection, referenced in the 1678 citation. The dog, holding a bone, sees its reflection in the water, and coveting the seemingly larger bone, opens its mouth to snatch it, thereby losing the one it already had. This story perfectly encapsulates how the desire for more can lead to the loss of what is already possessed.
Moral and Religious Condemnation
The proverb carries a strong moral and religious weight, particularly within a Christian context, where covetousness is one of the Ten Commandments. The 1601 citation from Dent's 'Pathway to Heaven' frames it not just as poor strategy but as a spiritual failing that leads to ultimate emptiness.
The Psychology of Insatiable Desire
Psychologically, the proverb speaks to the paradox of insatiable desire. Covetousness creates a perpetual state of lack, meaning no amount of gain can ever be sufficient. 'Home' thus symbolizes a state of contentment that the covetous person can never reach, as their focus is always on what they don't have.
Rhetorical Devices
Personification
The abstract concept of 'Covetousness' is treated as an active agent that performs an action ('brings'), making the moral lesson more direct and memorable.
Metaphor
The word 'home' serves as a powerful metaphor for security, satisfaction, and realized profit. To 'bring nothing home' is to end with a complete lack of tangible or emotional reward, signifying ultimate failure.
Irony
The central irony is that the extreme desire to gain everything results in gaining nothing. This highlights the self-sabotaging nature of the vice.
Transcription
Quotations
The old Proverb saith Covetousness bringeth nothing home.
It is impossible for an intemperate and extreme covetous man to bee rich, for couetousnesse neuer brings any thing home.
*Ref. to Fable of dog who saw his shadow in the pond. Ital.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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