Literary notes about squander (AI summary)
In literature, "squander" is employed as a vivid metaphor for the careless, even extravagant, wastage of finite and often precious resources, whether they be time, money, talent, or life itself. Authors use it to criticize both individual folly and societal imprudence—for instance, admonishing the wasteful scattering of one's lifetime as if it were mere trivial matter [1][2], or depicting characters who mismanage their fortunes to the point of personal ruin [3][4]. The term extends beyond monetary squander to encapsulate the squandering of potential and honor, thereby warning readers of the inherent dangers in undervaluing what one possesses [5][6].
- Dost thou love life, then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.
— from Familiar Quotations - For God's sake, my dear boy, do not squander away one moment of your time, for every moment may be now most usefully employed.
— from Letters to His Son, 1748 On the Fine Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman by Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of - It was my folly alone that led me to lose my own fortune and squander that of my wife.
— from The Milkmaid of Montfermeil (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XX) by Paul de Kock - It isn't that, but I love him too much to let him squander his talent.
— from The Gay Cockade by Temple Bailey - If thou keep it, it will keep thee; but if thou squander it, it will ruin thee; and then wilt thou need the assistance of the least of mankind.
— from The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I. - "Well, young man," he observed, on taking his leave, "there is stuff in you, but you squander your fine thoughts instead of making the most of them.
— from Famous Composers and Their Works, Vol. 2
