Franklin makes a humorous comparison between husbands and wives by claiming that a good husband is rarer and therefore more highly valued. The second half supplies the underlying principle: things that are scarce tend to be prized more than things that are common. The joke applies an economic idea about scarcity to marriage and personal character.

The saying also reflects the gender assumptions and domestic conventions of its period, and should not be read as an objective judgement about men and women. Its comic force depends on the suggestion that good husbands are unusually difficult to find. Beyond that stereotype, Franklin’s broader observation is that perceived value often depends partly on rarity. People may attach greater importance to a desirable quality when they believe it is uncommon, whether in relationships, possessions or other areas of life.