proverb · Words worth keeping
A lazy man takes five steps to avoid one.
A lazy man takes five steps to avoid one.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Five steps taken to avoid one exaggerate extra work created by avoiding a small task. The saying questions effort that defeats its own purpose.
What the words are saying
A critical reading does not label every alternate method lazy or assume avoidance has no reason. Access needs, risk and circumstances may change what is easier. A useful application compares actual effort and outcomes without ranking worth by productivity.
Everyday example
Someone checks whether a workaround saves effort or adds unnecessary complications.
When to use it
Use it to compare methods without presuming a character defect.
What it does not mean
No laziness or worth inferred from choosing an alternative method is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 945; PDF page 82; collection label: Transylvania Province of Romania
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Transylvania Province of Romania