Nullius hospitis grata est mora longa.
(Anonymous)

A long delay on the part of any guest is not pleasing.

pron = NOOL-lee-oos HOS-pih-tays GRAH-tah ehst MOH-rah LOHN-gah

Comment: I remember as a child the first time I heard an elder say:
after three days, fish and company both smell the same. I laughed
until my sides hurt. The relative in question had stayed far longer
than 3 days, and she smelled--and not just as a metaphor!

Our psyches may just work a lot like our armpits. Are we aware of our
own body odor or not? Are we aware when we give offense to others or
not? Do we know when we've stepped over some boundaries? Do we
realize when it's time to "go home"? That's what this proverb is
asking. My own self-observation after some bad time when I
"overstayed" my welcome was that I really knew, somewhere within me,
that it was time to "go" long before I did. Staying after I began to
"smell" was purely selfish. We learn from those moments, or we become
real stinkers.


Bob Patrick
(Used with permission)
Latin Proverb of the Day Archive