It is good SOWING in a fruitful ground

Meaning & Analysis

Planting seeds in fertile soil is advisable because it will produce a healthy and abundant crop.

Insights

Strategic Effort

Advises directing one's efforts, resources, or talents toward environments or situations where they are most likely to be successful and yield the best results.

Wise Investment

Suggests that investing time, energy, or capital in ventures, relationships, or people that show clear potential for growth is the wisest course of action.

Receptive Audience

In communication or teaching, it means that ideas are best shared with those who are open-minded and prepared to understand and accept them.

Nurturing Potential

Highlights that nurturing existing talent or potential is far more productive than trying to cultivate it where it does not exist.

Agricultural Foundation

The proverb's wisdom is deeply rooted in agricultural societies, where understanding soil fertility was essential for survival. This connection to the earth gives its metaphorical applications a timeless, elemental quality.

Biblical Resonance

This proverb strongly resonates with biblical teachings, particularly the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13), where the success of the seed depends entirely on the quality of the ground it lands on. This adds a layer of moral and spiritual gravity.

Economic Principle

The proverb encapsulates a core principle of modern business and economic strategy: a high return on investment (ROI) is achieved by allocating resources to the most promising opportunities, markets, or individuals.

Psychological Insight

Psychologically, it speaks to the concept of 'readiness for change'. Efforts to teach, persuade, or help someone are most effective when the individual is receptive and motivated—the 'fruitful ground' of an open mind.

Rhetorical Devices

Metaphor

The proverb is built on the central metaphor of 'sowing' as any effort or investment and 'fruitful ground' as a receptive or promising context.

Didactic Tone

The phrase 'It is good' lends the proverb a direct, instructive, and authoritative tone, presenting its wisdom as an undeniable truth.

Alliteration

The repetition of the 'g' sound in 'good' and 'ground' creates a pleasing rhythm that makes the proverb more memorable.

strategyinvestmentpotentialeffortreceptivitywisdom

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

Transcription

Quotations

— 1616, DR., s.v. Thankefulnesse, no. 2118.

Related Proverbs

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