a promise made is a promise kept

proverb

A promise that one makes should be or can be considered a promise that one will certainly honor.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. A promise that one makes should be or can be considered a promise that one will certainly honor.

    We'll never rise together if we allow medical bills to swallow family budgets or let people retire penniless after a lifetime of hard work, and so today we must demand that when it comes to commitments made [to] working men and women on health care and pensions, a promise made is a promise kept.

    2009, Wolfgang Mieder, "Yes We Can": Barack Obama's Proverbial Rhetoric, page 289

Translations

French promesse faite, promesse tenue
  • promesse faite, promesse tenuea promise should be honored
Hungarian az ígéret szép szó
  • az ígéret szép szóa promise should be honored
Cite this entry
APA

a promise made is a promise kept. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20promise%20made%20is%20a%20promise%20kept

MLA

“a promise made is a promise kept.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20promise%20made%20is%20a%20promise%20kept. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “a promise made is a promise kept,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20promise%20made%20is%20a%20promise%20kept.

Source: a promise made is a promise kept on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.