proverb · Legacy record
It is the part of a good shepherd to shear his flock, not to skin it.
It is the part of a good shepherd to shear his flock, not to skin it.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A shepherd shearing rather than skinning a flock contrasts limited taking with destructive exploitation. The saying asks how power treats those who sustain it.
What the words are saying
The metaphor is not an animal-care procedure or a justification for treating people as resources owned by a leader. A critical human reading questions excessive extraction and also asks whether any burden is fair and agreed. Preserving a system is not enough if those within it lack dignity or agency.
Everyday example
A leader reviews whether demands on participants are fair rather than merely below a destructive level.
When to use it
Use it critically to discuss exploitation, fairness and agency.
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What it does not mean
No animal welfare rule or legitimacy of extracting value from people is established.
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
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 725; PDF page 66; collection label: Latin
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Latin