proverb · Words worth keeping
The money paid, the workman’s arm is broken.
The money paid, the workman’s arm is broken.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Receiving payment in advance may weaken someone’s incentive to finish the work. The broken arm is a figurative picture of effort stopping after the money arrives.
Example
A group agrees on project stages and payment dates before commissioning a piece of work.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The workman can no longer use his arm once the payment has been received. The exaggerated injury gives visible form to a suspicion about incentives: the reward has arrived before the promised work is complete. The saying can prompt clearer agreements about stages, responsibilities and completion. It is not evidence that every paid worker will become unreliable, nor a reason to withhold money that is fairly due. A useful reading asks whether the arrangement supports both parties in doing what they promised, rather than treating one side’s dependence as something to exploit.
When to use it
Use it to discuss incentives and clear expectations before work begins.
Keep in mind
Payment obligations and a worker’s reliability should not be judged from this saying alone.
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