While forbidden fruit is said to taste sweeter, it usually spoils faster.

The saying plays on the familiar proverb that “forbidden fruit tastes sweetest,” which romanticizes taboo pleasures. Van Buren’s twist adds a cautionary second clause: what is alluring precisely because it is prohibited often carries hidden costs—guilt, consequences, instability, or rapid disillusionment. “Spoils faster” suggests that illicit or impulsive gratification may be short-lived and may deteriorate into regret more quickly than pleasures pursued openly and responsibly. The epigram thus reframes temptation as not merely risky but also less durable, urging readers to weigh long-term outcomes over immediate thrill.