MEAT was made for mouths

Meaning & Analysis

The basic meaning is that food, represented by meat, exists for the purpose of being eaten by people, represented by their mouths.

Insights

Fulfillment of Purpose

The proverb asserts that resources and opportunities are meant to be used and enjoyed, not hoarded or wasted. It argues against inaction and for the active use of what is available.

Right to Sustenance

It functions as a moral argument for fairness and equitable distribution. If a resource exists to meet a fundamental need, it should be accessible to all who have that need, not just a privileged few.

Justification of Desire

The proverb can be used to justify the satisfaction of natural desires and appetites. It suggests that if pleasures and opportunities exist, it is natural and right to pursue and enjoy them.

Political and Social Justice

The proverb's most famous context in Shakespeare's 'Coriolanus' frames it as a powerful political statement. The citizens of Rome use it to protest the hoarding of grain by the elite, transforming a simple observation into a radical call for the equitable distribution of resources and the right to sustenance.

Psychological Justification

The proverb serves as a powerful rationalization for fulfilling natural appetites and desires. It frames consumption not as a weakness or indulgence, but as the fulfillment of an inherent, natural purpose, thereby justifying the satisfaction of basic human needs.

Philosophical Purpose

The saying carries teleological weight, suggesting that things have an intrinsic purpose or 'telos'. To deny meat to mouths is to violate the natural order, making hoarding or waste an act against nature itself.

Rhetorical Devices

Alliteration

The repetition of the 'm' sound creates a pleasing, memorable rhythm that reinforces the proverb's sense of self-evident truth.

Synecdoche

Using 'mouths' to represent people who need to eat focuses the imagery on the primal act of consumption and hunger, making the need feel more urgent and fundamental.

Declarative Simplicity

The proverb is stated as a simple, undeniable fact. This declarative structure gives it an air of authority and common-sense wisdom, making it difficult to argue against.

justicepurposeconsumptionutilitydesirenatural order

Analyzed with gemini-2.5-pro on September 22, 2025

Transcription

Shakespeare Citations

They . . sigh'd forth proverbs— That hunger broke stone walls, that dogs must eat, That meat was made for mouths, that the gods sent not Corn for the rich men only.

— Cor, I.i

Related Proverbs

M516 Few MEN and much meat make a feast 91.7%M831 New MEAT begets a new appetite 91.2%M815 Good to be merry at MEAT 91.2%M826 MEAT is much (good) but manners (mense¹) is more (better) 91.1%M846 When MEAT is in anger is out 90.9%M814 Eaten MEAT is good to pay 90.8%M797 One may know your MEANING by your gaping (mumping) 90.7%M811 Better have MEAT than fine clothes 90.5%M817 He has eaten his roast MEAT first 90.4%M835 Quick at MEAT quick at work 90.1%M789 Two hungry (ill) MEALS make the third a glutton 89.9%M490 To be MAN's meat 89.6%M810 All MEAT pleases not all mouths 89.5%S96 Simondsall SAUCE 89.5%M188 A hungry MAN sees far 89.4%M841 They that have no other MEAT, bread and butter are glad to eat 89.3%W156 There are more WAYS to kill a dog than hanging 89.3%M839 Sweet MEAT must have sour sauce 89.3%M816 He brings (carries) MEAT in his mouth 89.3%M836 Salt MEAT draws down drink apace 89.2%

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