Meaning & Analysis
That which is worthless or bad will remain so, regardless of what is done to improve it.
Insights
Inherent Nature
This proverb expresses the belief that something—or someone—of fundamentally poor quality or bad character is unlikely to improve, no matter the effort applied.
Futility of Reform
Suggests the futility of attempting to transform what is inherently flawed or corrupted, emphasizing pessimism about change or redemption.
Persistence of Vice
Applies especially to moral judgment, implying that those once deemed 'naught' (morally bad) will remain so, reinforcing a deterministic view of character.
Moral Fatalism
The proverb reflects a fatalistic moral worldview prominent in early modern literature, where individuals were often viewed as bound by original sin, inherited vice, or immutable nature.
Pedagogical Use in Discipline
Historically employed as a warning or rebuke, especially toward youth or servants, this saying enforced behavioral expectations by suggesting that those who go astray are unlikely to return to virtue.
Cultural Resistance to Social Mobility
Embedded in this proverb is a cultural resistance to the idea of transformation or redemption—particularly among lower classes or those of ill repute—reflecting a conservative, hierarchical view of human worth.
Rhetorical Devices
Tautology
The repetition of 'nought' underscores the cyclical inevitability of decline or unworthiness, giving the statement a sense of grim closure.
Alliteration
The consonantal repetition in 'nought will be nought' enhances rhythmic force, aiding memorability and delivering a proverb with emphatic finality.
Ellipsis
The proverb omits context and verbs that might elaborate its meaning, relying on its compact structure to imply universality and moral weight.
Transcription
Quotations
Nought wyll be nought, what so euer thou do.
So naught will be naught.
Naught once, they say, and euer after naught.
To naught it goes that came from naughtinesse.
Naught will be naught, and never good, though it had been practiced a thousand years.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.