proverb · Words worth keeping
They who don’t kill pigs must not expect black-puddings.
They who don’t kill pigs must not expect black-puddings.
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
The expected result is connected to participation in the work that produces it. The pig and pudding image questions demanding a share while refusing the undertaking altogether.
What the words are saying
The pudding depends on an earlier act in the saying’s literal scene. Figuratively, a benefit may be part of a shared task rather than something detached from how it is made. Discuss contributions and expectations before the result arrives. This does not establish that everyone must perform the same work, or that care should be withheld from someone unable to contribute. Different abilities, arrangements and needs matter. Read the image as a question about agreed reciprocity, not an instruction to harm animals.
Everyday example
A group agrees who will prepare, host and clear up a shared event before deciding how its available places will be allocated.
When to use it
Use it to clarify how participation relates to an expected share in a joint undertaking.
What it does not mean
Contributions can differ; inability to perform one task does not justify denying basic care or dignity.
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 (Spanish-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 201; Spanish section, paragraph 4191; source wording: A quien no mata puerco, no le dan morcilla.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.