ProverbWisdom
English origin
English originThe greatest burdens are not the gainfullest.
Meaning: Heavy loads rarely yield profits; exhausting work often produces meager returns.
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 and Japanese
French: En grand fardeau n’est pas l’acquêt (literally: The greatest burdens are not the gainfullest)
Japanese: 骨折り損のくたびれ儲け (Honeori-zon no kutabire-mouke) (literally: Toil lost, weariness gained)
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Un chasseur sachant chasser doit savoir chasser sans son chien. The classic French 'ch' / 's' tangler.
- Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal. A relentless run on the 'tr' sound.
- Fischers Fritz fischt frische Fische, frische Fische fischt Fischers Fritz. The German 'f' / 'sch' staple.
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