ProverbWisdomEnglish origin

Sloth is the mother of poverty.

Meaning: Idleness breeds want because accumulated inaction prevents accumulation of resources or opportunity.

Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German

  • French: Paresse est mère de pauvreté (literally: Laziness is the mother of poverty)
  • Spanish: Pereza, llave de pobreza (literally: Sloth is the key of poverty)
  • Japanese: 稼ぐに追いつく貧乏なし (Kasegu ni oitsuku binbō nashi) (literally: No poverty can catch up with hard work)
  • German: Fleiß bringt Brot, Faulheit Not (literally: Diligence brings bread, laziness brings want)

More proverbs about Wisdom

Explore another collection: False Friends

Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.

  • Firma Actually means 'signature'. Metti la tua firma = Put your signature here.
  • Magazzino Actually means 'warehouse' or 'storeroom'. A magazine (periodical) is una rivista.
  • Conveniente Actually means 'affordable', 'good value', or 'suitable'. È conveniente = It's a good dea…

Browse all false friends →

Keep exploring

Explore all proverbs →