Meaning & Analysis
A person is described as being in a state of perpetual discontent, feeling unwell or dissatisfied regardless of whether they have eaten to fullness or are fasting.
Insights
Inherent Dissatisfaction
The proverb describes a character who is constitutionally impossible to please. 'Full' and 'fasting' represent the entire spectrum of conditions (e.g., wealth and poverty, success and failure), none of which can bring satisfaction.
Futility of Appeasement
It speaks to the futility of trying to appease a perpetually negative person. No matter the effort or condition provided, their nature is to remain unfulfilled and complaining.
Internal Restlessness
The proverb illustrates a state of psychological restlessness or an inability to find peace. The source of unhappiness is internal, making external solutions entirely ineffective.
Psychology of Discontent
The proverb taps into a psychological profile of a person whose discontent is internal and not situational. It reflects the concept of a 'hedonic treadmill' where an individual's baseline for happiness is perpetually low, regardless of external conditions like abundance or scarcity.
Social Caricature
The cross-reference to 'You are a right Englishman, you cannot tell when... you are well' suggests the proverb may have been used as a form of social or national caricature, stereotyping a group as perpetually grumbling or hard to please.
Critique of Ingratitude
As demonstrated by its use by authors like Jonathan Swift, the proverb serves as a sharp tool for social commentary, critiquing ingratitude and the fickle nature of human desire in a world of ever-shifting wants.
Rhetorical Devices
Antithesis
The proverb's power comes from the stark juxtaposition of 'full' and 'fasting', two opposite states that effectively cover all possibilities, thereby emphasizing the comprehensive nature of the dissatisfaction.
Brevity and Parallelism
The phrase is extremely concise and uses a parallel structure ('full nor fasting'), which makes it memorable, rhythmic, and impactful as a quick, cutting observation.
Hyperbole
The word 'Never' is an absolute, a form of hyperbole that dramatically underscores the subject's constant and unwavering state of discontent.
Transcription
Quotations
Neither pleased full nor fasting. I know not how to serve them.
You are never well full or fasting.
We are never Well, either with Much or Little.
You are never pleas'd fow [full] or fasting.
You are never pleased, full nor fasting.
You don't know your own mind; you are neither well, full nor fasting.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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