proverb · Words worth keeping
They that will not work in heat, must hunger in frost.
They that will not work in heat, must hunger in frost.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Work done during an available season can help provide for a harder one. The contrast between heat and frost stresses timing but oversimplifies why needs may go unmet.
What the words are saying
Refusing work in warmth is made the cause of hunger in cold. It can encourage preparation when a feasible opportunity exists. It must not assume that everyone can safely work under the conditions available or that scarcity always follows neglect. A useful reading checks capacity, access and support while identifying what can reasonably be done before a later need.
Everyday example
A group prepares supplies during an available quiet period while arranging help for members who cannot take part.
When to use it
Use it to discuss feasible preparation for a later demand.
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What it does not mean
This is not guidance to work in unsafe heat, and hunger is not proof of laziness.
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 1848 · Work
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English