It is good SOWING in a fruitful ground

Meaning & Analysis

Planting seeds in fertile soil is advisable as it yields the best crops.

Insights

Strategic Effort

Advises directing one's efforts, resources, or investments toward environments or individuals that are receptive and likely to produce a positive outcome, maximizing the impact of one's actions.

Nurturing Potential

Emphasizes the importance of nurturing inherent talent or interest. It suggests that providing guidance, knowledge, or support to those who are already eager and capable is the most effective path to success.

Importance of Foundation

Highlights that the success of any endeavor depends heavily on its foundation. Starting with a strong base—be it a receptive audience, a stable market, or a solid plan—is crucial for achieving a favorable result.

Opportune Action

Serves as a reminder to recognize and act upon favorable conditions. Success is a product of both the action (sowing) and the context (fruitful ground), encouraging discernment in choosing when and where to act.

Agricultural Wisdom

Grounded in the universal human experience of agriculture, the proverb uses the fundamental act of planting to convey a timeless strategic principle. Its wisdom is ancient, resonating with agricultural societies and enduring in modern contexts of business and personal development.

Parable and Pedagogy

This proverb strongly echoes religious and philosophical teachings, most notably the Parable of the Sower from the New Testament, where the fate of the seed is determined by the quality of the soil. This parallel highlights its use as a moral and pedagogical tool for teaching about receptiveness and potential.

Economic Principle

In a modern economic sense, this proverb encapsulates a core principle of venture capital and strategic investment: allocate resources not just widely, but wisely, focusing on markets, ideas, or people that demonstrate the highest potential for growth and return.

Psychology of Receptiveness

The proverb reflects a key psychological insight into personal growth and influence. It suggests that efforts to teach, persuade, or change are most effective when the individual is receptive and prepared—the 'ground' is fertile. It cautions against wasting effort on those who are unwilling or unready to grow.

Rhetorical Devices

Metaphor

The core of the proverb is the metaphor comparing action/investment to 'sowing' and a receptive environment or person to 'fruitful ground', making an abstract principle concrete and memorable.

Didactic Tone

The phrase 'It is good' lends the proverb a clear, instructional, and authoritative voice, framing it as a piece of timeless, didactic wisdom.

Alliteration

The repetition of the 'g' sound in 'good' and 'ground' creates a subtle alliterative effect that enhances the proverb's rhythm and memorability.

potentialstrategyinvestmentopportunityeffortwisdom
Analyzed with gemini-2.5-pro on December 1, 2025

Transcription

Quotations

1616, DR., Thankefulnesse, no. 2118.

Original Scan

It is good SOWING in a fruitful ground - 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