proverb · Source-linked selection
Account not that work slavery That brings in penny savoury.
Account not that work slavery That brings in penny savoury.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying argues that paid work should not be called slavery. A critical reading distinguishes compensation from the freedom and fair conditions that a worker also needs.
What the words are saying
The agreeable penny is presented as sufficient reason to dismiss an objection about work. Payment can matter, but it does not by itself establish consent, safety or justice. A useful interpretation asks what conditions are actually present and avoids reducing concerns about exploitation to ingratitude. It is a moral examination of the wording, not a definition of slavery or an account of employment law.
Everyday example
A group listens to concerns about coercive conditions instead of answering them only by pointing to payment.
When to use it
Use it critically to examine payment used as a complete defence of working conditions.
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What it does not mean
Payment does not automatically make work freely chosen or fair; this is not legal advice.
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
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1448 · Slavery
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English