proverb · Words worth keeping
The mountaineer’s ass carries wine and drinks water.
The mountaineer’s ass carries wine and drinks water.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Someone carrying valuable goods may receive little of their benefit. Look at how the rewards of an undertaking are shared with those whose effort makes it possible.
What the words are saying
The ass carries wine but drinks water, separating the value of the load from what its bearer receives. The image can question an arrangement where useful work brings benefits mainly to others. A fair assessment asks about responsibilities, agreed rewards and the actual needs of participants. Not every difference in benefit is unjust, and the animal’s drink is not itself evidence of deprivation. The figurative concern is whether contribution has been overlooked. It encourages a concrete examination of distribution rather than treating the appearance of prosperity around a worker as proof of their own security.
Everyday example
A successful event’s organisers check that the people who did its paid preparation received the agreed compensation rather than only public thanks.
When to use it
Use it to examine the rewards received by people doing essential work.
What it does not mean
Differences require context. Consider fair agreements and actual needs rather than presuming that every unequal benefit is exploitation.
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 (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 30; French section, paragraph 589; source wording: L’âne de la montagne porte le vin et boit de l’eau.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.