ProverbWisdomEnglish origin1678

Let every tub stand on its own bottom.

Meaning: Each person must support themselves financially and practically without depending on others' resources.

Origin: A tub that cannot stand on its own bottom falls over. The saying means everyone should be self-supporting and answer for their own affairs. It was already a common proverb when John Bunyan gave it to the complacent character Presumption in The Pilgrim's Progress (1678), who refuses Christian's help with "Every tub must stand upon its own bottom."

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