proverb · Legacy record
Plant the seed of virtue; fruit will be harvested.
Plant the seed of virtue; fruit will be harvested.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Virtue planted as seed and harvested as fruit gives good conduct an image of later benefit. The saying encourages attention to what present actions cultivate.
What the words are saying
The agricultural analogy is an ethical hope, not a guarantee of reward or a planting instruction. A useful reading considers how conduct affects relationships and opportunities while recognising circumstances beyond individual control. Bad fortune does not establish a failure of virtue.
Everyday example
Someone maintains a fair practice because of its value without promising it will bring a personal reward.
When to use it
Use it to discuss conduct’s possible effects without guaranteed returns.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
No assured reward, farming procedure or moral explanation of misfortune 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
Mongolia
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 408; PDF page 39; collection label: Mongolia
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Mongolia