PROVISION in season makes a rich meason

Meaning & Analysis

Gathering or preparing supplies at the right time leads to abundance and prosperity, particularly in the household ('meason' = house).

Insights

Timely Preparation

The proverb metaphorically underscores the value of acting at the proper moment—planning and preparing ahead ensures success and plenty when it is most needed.

Foresight and Prudence

It champions prudence and foresight, suggesting that those who anticipate needs and act before necessity arises will achieve stability and wealth.

Economic and Domestic Wisdom

Historically, seasonal provision—such as preserving food before winter—was vital for survival and prosperity. The proverb reflects a traditional, agricultural worldview where prudent management ensured a 'rich house.'

Universal Principle

This practical wisdom extends beyond the home: in business, education, and personal life, readiness and timing are key determinants of success and abundance.

Cost and Effort

The note emphasizes that timely provision secures goods 'at the easiest rate,' highlighting the economic benefit of acting early and avoiding scarcity-driven expense or crisis.

Rhetorical Devices

Rhyme

The end rhyme of 'season' and 'meason' (house) adds musicality, making the proverb catchy and easy to remember.

Alliteration

Repetition of the 'm' sound in 'makes' and 'meason' strengthens rhythm and flow.

Conciseness

Its brief, pithy structure distills practical advice into a maxim suitable for oral tradition.

provisiontimingforesightprosperityhouseholdprudence
Analyzed with gpt-4.1 on July 10, 2025

Transcription

Quotations

a.1598, FERG., MS, no. 1141
1668, R.B., p. 43

(a rich House).

1721, KEL., p. 281

Because every Thing is gotten at the easiest Rate.

*Note

Annotations

  1. house

Original Scan

PROVISION in season makes a rich meason - a scanned entry from Tilley's 1950 Dictionary of Proverbs.
Scan courtesy of HathiTrust Digital Library.
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.

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Last updated: January 27, 2026