proverbs

[sammee]

i am trying to interpret this proverb "no one is so generous as one who has nothing to give"

[Clanad]

It's easy to be generous when one has no personal investment...

[missrandom]

because they have given it all away, thats why they have nothing.

[aviator]

I think it means that those who have much don't give anything away whereas those who have nothing have nothing because they give it away?

Did someone already say that?

[wallpaper]

It means that you would give away your last penny if you had too. A very kind person indeed x

[Hugh Spencer]

A person has a lot of money and gives a reasonable cash gift to a person in need. Another person has very little money but is quite dogmatic that the receiver has a lot more as a gift, but he doesn't have to find it

[joko]

no, you all have it wrong, it is not a nice person or a generous person.

it means someone who claims they would give you a million pounds - if only they had it.

e.g, - if i ever win the lottery, i will give everyone on AB 3,000 pound each... how generous am i? don't you just love me? aren't i kind and generous?
chances of it ever happening are so slim, i need never worry about having to stick to my word - it is easy for me to be so generous here...

if they had 2 million, they promise sincerely that they would give you 1 million of it - never going to happen though is it? - so its very very easy to say and sound generous

someone who is so generous in theory - in order to seem nice - because they know they will never actually have to give you anything