It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow.

The saying commends prudence: genuine thrift is not mere stinginess in the present but foresight that anticipates future needs. It frames preparation—saving, storing, planning, and building reserves—as an ethical and practical virtue, because tomorrow’s “wants” are predictable enough to justify action today. In the Aesopic moral universe, such counsel typically contrasts the diligent, provident character with the improvident one who lives only for the moment and later suffers avoidable hardship. The line thus functions as a compact moral about delayed gratification and responsibility, implying that security and independence are earned through steady, forward-looking habits.