proverb · Words worth keeping
Don’t work to get rich.
Don’t work to get rich.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The instruction rejects getting rich as the purpose of work. It questions making wealth accumulation the sole aim of effort.
What the words are saying
The wording does not specify a livelihood or reject every need for income. A qualified application can consider what value a task has beyond financial gain. It should not romanticise poverty, devalue fair pay or prescribe a person’s employment and financial choices.
Everyday example
Someone considers whether a project’s purpose fits their values while still accounting for necessary income.
When to use it
Use it to examine the aims of work alongside practical needs.
What it does not mean
It does not remove the need for income or establish a financial strategy.
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 proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 237; PDF page 38
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.