Wilful Waste Makes Woeful Want

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Good morning. This is Linda from Cooperstown, North Dakota.

What can we do for you?

My grandmother had a saying that I’ve thought about recently, and it was, wanton waste will lead to woeful want.

Oh, what were you doing when she said that?

We were little kids, of course.

Yep. And I think she was probably from West Virginia, probably born in the late 1800s.

Were you a wasteful child?

Nope. We were pretty good because Grandma threatened with the willow switch.

Oh, the willow switch.

Wanton waste will lead to willow whopping.

Well, you might be interested to know, Linda, that this kind of alliterative advice goes back to at least the early 18th century. The far more common version of this is willful waste makes woeful want.

And you can just hear a parent, can’t you just, it almost lends itself to sort of a sing-songy kind of willful waste makes woeful want. And I can imagine centuries of children rolling their eyes.

Oh, yes.

Yeah, but that goes back all the way at least to a 1721 collection of Scottish proverbs. Willful waste makes woeful want.

But, you know, there are different versions of it. Waste not, want not. Waste and want save and have.

Here’s another one. Haste makes waste and waste makes want and want makes strife between the good man and wife.

Oh, my.

Well, Linda, this has been an insightful, delightful call. And we appreciate it.

All right.

Thank you.

All right.

Take care now.

Be well.

Thanks for calling, Linda.

Yep.

Bye.

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