Solitude is a good place to visit but a poor place to stay.

The saying draws a distinction between solitude as a temporary, restorative condition and isolation as a long-term way of life. “Visit” suggests choosing aloneness for reflection, creativity, prayer, or emotional reset; “stay” warns that prolonged withdrawal can harden into loneliness, self-absorption, or social disconnection. The epigram’s balanced structure makes it memorable while expressing a moderate ethic: cultivate inner life without abandoning community. Read this way, it endorses periodic retreat as healthy, but insists that flourishing ultimately requires relationships, conversation, and participation in the world.