proverb · Source-linked selection
Whither shall the ox go where he will not have to plough?
Whither shall the ox go where he will not have to plough?
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Changing location may not remove a responsibility attached to a role. The ploughing ox questions an escape that changes surroundings alone, without declaring work unavoidable everywhere or requiring anyone to endure exploitation.
What the words are saying
The question follows the ox from one possible place to another while keeping its ploughing task in view. As a metaphor, a responsibility can travel with a role even when the surroundings change. Before expecting a move to solve a problem, distinguish what belongs to the place from what belongs to the arrangement itself. This is not evidence about every working animal or every person’s employment. A task can be renegotiated, and an unsafe situation can justify leaving. The point is to examine what the change actually changes.
Everyday example
A volunteer considers whether moving a meeting to another room will solve a workload problem that comes from how duties are divided.
When to use it
Use it to distinguish a change of surroundings from a change in responsibilities.
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What it does not mean
Do not turn the image into a duty to accept unsafe or unfair work; arrangements and roles can change.
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 (Spanish-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 194; Spanish section, paragraph 4057; source wording: Adonde yrá el buey, que no are?
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.