Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day
Meaning: Teaching someone is more valuable than doing things for them.
Origin: Often called a Chinese proverb or credited to Maimonides, but no early source supports either. The earliest known version is in Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie's novel Mrs. Dymond (1885): if you give a man a fish he is hungry again in an hour; if you teach him to catch a fish you do him a good turn.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Donne un poisson à un homme et il mangera un jour (literally: Give a fish to a man and he eats for a day)
- Spanish: Dale un pez a un hombre y comerá un día (literally: Give a fish to a man and he eats one day)
- Japanese: 魚を与えるのではなく釣り方を教えよ (Sakana wo ataeru no de wa naku tsurikata wo oshieyo) (literally: Don't give the fish, teach how to fish)
- German: Gib einem Mann einen Fisch und du ernährst ihn für einen Tag; lehre ihn zu fischen und du ernährst ihn für sein Leben (literally: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you feed him for his life)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- All that glitters is not gold — Appearances can be misleading.
- The best things in life are free — The most valuable experiences don't cost money.
- If it ain't broke, don't fix it — Don't change something that's working well.
- Money doesn't grow on trees — Money is hard to earn and should be spent wisely.
- When in Rome, do as the Romans do — Adapt to local customs when visiting a new place.
- Keep your friends close and your enemies closer — It's wise to monitor those who might harm you.