proverb · Words worth keeping
He puts his sickle into another man’s harvest.
He puts his sickle into another man’s harvest.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Intervening in someone else’s work or claiming its results can overstep a boundary. The borrowed harvest represents effort whose ownership or responsibility belongs elsewhere.
Example
A colleague asks before changing another team’s presentation and preserves credit for their research rather than submitting the revised work as their own.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The sickle enters a field cultivated by another person. The image questions intervention that disregards who did the work or who has the right to decide what happens next. Before acting, ask whether help was requested, how responsibility is shared and how credit will be given. Cooperation can involve many hands without becoming trespass when those terms are understood. The proverb should not turn every useful suggestion into interference; its concern is taking control or benefit without recognising another person’s legitimate place in the undertaking.
When to use it
Use it to clarify permission and credit when entering another person’s work.
Keep in mind
Shared responsibilities can justify intervention. Examine the agreed roles, especially where safety or a clear duty requires action.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown