dance with the one that brought you

English

Alternative forms

Alternative forms of dance with the one that brought you

Proverb

dance with the one that brought you

(chiefly US and Canada) Be considerate and loyal to the one who has been supportive, attentive, or helpful to you.
- 1986, Cooperative Farmer, Vols 42-43, p. 77. (Google snippet view) (retrieved 9 May 2018):
  "I have had people say, ‘Oh, the landscaping business is doing OK. So, you're going to get out of tobacco farming.’ No! I would like to see my landscaping business grow. But, without the cash flow from the farm, I would not have been able to start the landscaping operation," the Bunn, N.C., farmer stresses. "As they say, you dance with the one that brought you."
- 2000 October 18, Thomas Boswell, “Unlike the Boss, Torre Recognizes the Right Stuff”, in Washington Post, retrieved 9 May 2018:
  Sometimes you have to dance with the one that brought you. And, ever since he won a crucial Game Four in Cleveland on 16 days rest in the 1998 ALCS, Torre has trusted Hernandez more than any of his starters.
- 2014 February 17, John E. Sununu, “Keeping Obama at arm’s length”, in Boston Globe, retrieved 9 May 2018:
  Obama’s approval ratings have fallen below 40 percent. “Dance with the one that brought you,” the saying goes, but when you are a Senate Democrat stuck with the wrong prom date, there’s only one thing to do: hide in the bathroom.
- 2016 April 30, James Allan, “Leaving the dance with the one who brought you”, in Spectator, UK, retrieved 9 May 2018:
  I mention this Canadian Conservative Prime Minister because he coined the political adage ‘you dance with the one that brought you’. In less colourful terms Mulroney meant that a Prime Minister should ‘never, ever ignore his party’s base’.

Synonyms

Synonyms of dance with the one that brought you