But they do not seek good from good. They don’t seek good from goodness
“They do not seek good from good” - these words are used not only in oral speech, but also in numerous works of art Russian writers.
What is the meaning of the proverb “No good is sought from good”
The Russian proverb “They do not seek good from good” belongs to the category of those stable expressions that change their meaning due to the fact that they are given in a truncated form or taken out of context. Full version This folk wisdom in “Proverbs of the Russian People” by V. I. Dahl sounds like this: “Horses do not seek food from food, they do not seek good from good.” Short version often interpreted in the sense of “Having done good, do not expect gratitude in return.” However, the meaning of the continuation of this phrase is completely different: “The best is the enemy of the good.”
Where does the beaver come from?
Sometimes you can hear a very funny variation: “They don’t look for good from a beaver.” The poor beaver, of course, has nothing to do with this, he became a proverb thanks to the consonance of the words “beaver-good,” which was taken advantage of by N. Fomenko, who once wrote a series of jokes for Russian Radio based on similar consonances. Thus a new saying was born, incorrect, distorted, but easily perceived as just a stable expression that does not need to be analyzed. A joke-explanation has also become widespread on the Internet, according to which these words have gained such popularity: “They don’t look for good from a beaver. That's what people with wooden legs say."
Fun fact. The story of the beaver with goodness is taking an increasingly interesting turn. Recently creative association « Ural dumplings” picked up the banner that had fallen from Fomenko’s hands and released a new show “They don’t look for beavers in Goa.”
Everyone knows the expression “No good is sought from goodness” and is used in different ways. Entire verbal battles between supporters often start on the Internet. different interpretations. So far the struggle is going on with varying success.
It is better if everything remains the same, because there is no point in changing anything, because it is still unknown what you will exchange for, whether it will be better or worse than what exists. You can choose other proverbs and sayings, say them differently. For example: A bird in the hand is better than a pie in the sky.
Many languages have similar expressions. so this is the general folk wisdom:
In England they say the same thing: “Let well alone” - leave the good alone. In Germany - “warum in die Ferne schweifen? Sieh, das Gute liegt so nah” - why look into the distance if good things are nearby. In France, “Qui est bien ne se meuve” - if it’s good, let it remain that way.
But it turns out that this expression is not so simple. Initially it sounded completely different, which is why it had a completely different meaning.
“Horses don’t roam for food, they don’t seek good for good.”
The meaning here is that goodness should be selfless; you should not expect gratitude for good deed, for a good deed.
Over time, we began to use a shortened version. And by the way, everyone interprets it in their own way. Some interpret it in such a way that if you suddenly received some kind of gift from fate, something good fell on your head - grab it right away and don’t dare say that it’s bad, moan and look for something better. The good is already in your hands.
Let's remember the synonyms for the expression:
Best the enemy of the good
Better a bird in the hand than a pie in the sky
Try on seven times, measure once
A bad peace is better than a good quarrel
Much to wish for, but no good to be seen
Okay, sit down, just sit there
It works - don't touch it (modern truth)
IN The expression “They don’t seek good from goodness” is reminiscent of an interesting culinary pattern: if you give ten cooks ten identical sets of products for preparing borscht and the same utensils, you will get ten different borschts. The result of the interpretation of a Russian proverb by several people is at least three different versions of interpretation.
The saying “They do not seek good from good” is interesting not only from the point of view of the multivariate nature of its interpretation, it also combines the properties of both proverbs and sayings. Some linguists and paremiologists call such expressions proverbial and proverbial, thereby distinguishing them into a special transitional paremiological group.
As a rule, there are no difficulties when interpreting sayings that do not contain allegory. In the case of “They do not seek good from good,” the reason for the complexity and ambiguity of interpretation lies in the components included in the structure of the expression, or rather in one component - the word “good.” In Russian, this word has several meanings.
Good is something useful, good, bringing well-being, everything that is opposite to evil. Otherwise given word used in relation to property, things, acquired belongings. It is quite obvious that depending on the choice of one definition or another, the interpretation of the entire proverb will be built. And since the word “good” appears twice in the proverb, there are twice as many possible options. For example, it can be assumed that a folk aphorism in an edifying form warns people against the temptation of money-grubbing. Material goods give comfort, but they cannot make a person richer in spiritual and moral terms. True Values It is worth looking not in the real property sphere. The following allegorical explanation “From goodness...” appeals to goodness in the meaning of a good deed. In this case, folk wisdom reminds us that good deeds are done selflessly - “If you do good, throw it into the water.”
Another indication that can be considered in the Russian saying is the advice to be content with the good things you have at the moment, to be unpretentious. The desire for more comes from a spiritual emptiness that you try in vain to fill with short-term and deceptive pleasure from possessing something. Even if this is the last of the possible interpretations of a wise and sophisticated aphorism, then which of the meanings will be historically correct?
Oddly enough, folk wisdom itself, or rather its “lost” part, will help answer this question. “They don’t seek good from good” is just a “splinter” of a proverb, full version which sounds like this: “Horses do not seek for food (oats), they do not seek good for good.” The first part of the expression literally says that horses, in front of which oats are poured in the feeders, do not have the desire to scour further in search of food.
The second part of the folk aphorism seems to expand direct meaning first and means that there is no point in changing the existing situation, which is quite satisfactory, to another, unknown one. What the saying warns against is not difficult to understand; it is quite possible that the search for the ephemeral best will end in the loss of the good that you have at your disposal. this moment. Quite often, advice to spouses to remain faithful to each other is expressed in precisely similar phrases. It is interesting that the English equivalent of the expression is identical to the Russian one - “The best is often the enemy of the good.”
It is safe to assume that you will hear the proverb in question much more often from the older generation and, in general, older people than from young people. Moreover, this is in no way connected with the stereotype that an elderly person has more “proverbial baggage”. IN in this case We are talking about the idea that folk wisdom carries. Maturity and old age are more conservative.
Whereas youth cannot stand still. Therefore, it is not always worth reproaching young people for not wanting to be content with what they have, even if it is very good. They are driven to search for something better not by greed, as older people hastily begin to think, but by a thirst for new sensations, supported by youthful maximalism, a desire, often not without a share of egoism, to conquer new heights. Naturally, sayings like “Okay, sit down, sit down” are completely alien to this age period.
Vladimir Dal in his “Advice Word” - the preface to the dictionary of Russian proverbs and sayings - noted that people prefer not to change their “oral decisions” about something as long as the circumstances that gave rise to such “verdicts” remain unchanged. Changes that inevitably occur in any society lead to a rethinking by the nation of those values that have undergone the most transformation. Therefore, the emergence of new proverbs and changing the meaning of old sayings is a completely natural process.
January 31st, 2011 , 04:19 pm
Today, in the process of communicating with a colleague, it turned out that we interpret this saying differently. We were sincerely surprised by this story. We are the same age and fellow countrymen. We both love to read good literature. Well, really, how can one and the same phrase have different meanings? It turns out that whoever hurts is the one who talks about it? I believed that once you get something, you shouldn’t ask for more. Valentina claims that true meaning The saying goes that if you do good to someone else, don’t expect them to do the same in return.
I turned to Google “the almighty” for help, as my son likes to joke.
Turns out, true meaning sayings - They don’t seek good from goodness Other Internet users also wanted to know. Here are a few thoughts on this topic:
- And it seems to me that to this wise proverb we can add one more: “what we have we do not keep, we lose it by crying.” So I think that you need to be able to see the good and rejoice in what you have. Don't look for something better.
- Masha, if I’m not mistaken, then this is a proverb - a grammatically and logically condensed, complete saying, with instructive meaning, for example: “what goes around comes around.” A saying is a figurative expression that is devoid of a general meaning, for example: “Seven Fridays in a week.”
- So the first thing I thought was that “they don’t look for good from good” means that if a person lives well, then he won’t look for anything better, and there’s no need to look for this new good at all. I asked my husband. He answered with confidence that if he did something good to someone, don’t expect him to do something good for you later. These are the ones we have different opinions. Skyway, I'm looking forward to the correct answer.
- WIKITIONARY:When you receive something for free, you should not expect or demand more.◆ B I went to three kings; the first one ordered to take off my cap and scolded my nanny for me; the second one did not favor me; Although the third one made me a page-chamber in my old age, I don’t want to exchange him for the fourth; they do not seek good from good. Alexander Arkhangelsky, “1962. Epistle to Timothy", 2006
They don’t seek good from goodness
Horses do not roam for food; they do not seek good for good.
Wed. They don’t seek good from goodness, answered one manager of a charitable institution when asked whether he would retire with a pension double the legal allowance.
*** Aphorisms.
Wed. From oats, know horses do not prowl, they do not seek good from good...
L.N. Tolstoy. The power of darkness. 1, 10.
Wed. They do not seek good from good, but You have good things at hand, just force yourself to work for the first time.
Melnikov. On the mountains. 4, 6.
Wed. When I described the immeasurability of Russia, they answered: “No, no, you can see it’s cramped at home when you’re going to your death in someone else’s cramped quarters.” they don’t seek good from goodness.
Marlinsky. Koisubulin people.
Russian thought and speech. Yours and someone else's. Experience of Russian phraseology. Collection of figurative words and parables. T.T. 1-2. Walking and apt words. Collection of Russian and foreign quotes, proverbs, sayings, proverbial expressions and individual words. St. Petersburg, type. Ak. Sci.. M. I. Mikhelson. 1896-1912.
See what “good is not sought from good” in other dictionaries:
They look for the good that is hidden, but the bad is at hand. See GOOD AND BAD...
They don’t look for the silver lining of good. See TOLK STUPID... IN AND. Dahl. Proverbs of the Russian people
They do not seek good from good. See Grief Grief They do not seek good from good. They do not seek bread from bread. See FAQ... IN AND. Dahl. Proverbs of the Russian people
Horses do not roam for food; they do not seek good for good. See FAQ... IN AND. Dahl. Proverbs of the Russian people
Adverb, number of synonyms: 2 don’t look a gift horse in the mouth (2) no desire to change (1) Dictionary of synonyms AS ... Synonym dictionary
They do not seek good from good. Horses do not hunt for food; they do not seek good for good. Wed. One does not seek good from good, one manager of a charitable institution answered the question: would he resign with a double against the legal... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)
They do not seek good from good. They do not seek bread from bread. See FAQ... IN AND. Dahl. Proverbs of the Russian people
Good is not sought from good. See SEARCH FIND... IN AND. Dahl. Proverbs of the Russian people
Justification for good. Moral philosophy philosophically ethical work Vladimir Solovyov, written by him in 1897. Contents 1 Contents 1.1 Part one. Welcome to human nature... Wikipedia
Wed. material, all good cf. property or wealth, acquisition, goodness, esp. movable. All my goodness or kindness is gone. They have an abyss of stuff in their chests. All good is dust. | In spiritual meaning. It’s good that it’s honest and useful, everything that requires... Dictionary Dahl
Books
- They don’t look for good from princesses, Kira Filippova. The vampire is not a friend to the princess?! That's right, the vampire is a rival to the princess. And when it comes to world domination, then, excuse me, raising an already obstinate girl does not play a role. Here…
- They don’t look for good from princesses, Kira Filippova. The vampire is not a friend to the princess?! That's right, the vampire is a rival to the princess. And when it comes to world domination, then, excuse me, raising an already obstinate girl does not play a role. Here…
