Wealth & Money Quote by Thomas Tusser

A proverb that sharp pretends to be about money, then quietly reveals it is about judgment. Tusser frames wealth not as a cushion but as a stress test: resources don’t simply disappear, they expose the weak points in a person’s thinking. The line lands because it’s brisk and unsentimental. “Fool” is a moral diagnosis, not an insult of temperament. “Soon” is the blade. It suggests inevitability, as if bad choices have gravity and cash is just the first thing to fall.

Tusser is writing from a 16th-century England where coin, credit, and social mobility were becoming more visible in everyday life. That matters: when markets expand, so do the opportunities to be cheated, overextend, gamble, or indulge. The proverb’s cultural function is partly pedagogical - a warning to householders and young men navigating a world where a little money can invite a lot of persuasion. It also carries a Calvin-ish undertone common to the era: thrift and foresight read as virtue; waste reads as character failure.

The subtext is colder than the surface: the “fool” doesn’t just lose money, he attracts predators. Being “parted” hints at outside agents - swindlers, flattering friends, dubious bargains - but the blame still sticks to the mark. That’s why the line endures. It flatters the listener into thinking they’re the prudent one, while keeping a superstitious fear alive: any lapse in judgment might make you next.