- English translation
Better bricks, whether molding them or being pelted with them, than taking flight.
- Literal wording
The striking of bricks, and not the running away.
- Meaning and lesson
One reading treats the brick work as a livelihood: it is better to remain in one's own town and take even the lowliest trade, such as molding mud bricks, than to abandon home in search of something better elsewhere.
Another reading makes the bricks into missiles: it is better to stand and endure being pelted than to run off and expose oneself as weak or cowardly. The wording alone cannot settle which sense is meant, though each praises steadfastness over flight.
- When it is used
Suitable when urging someone to stay put and accept hard, humble work rather than leave home, or to stand firm under hardship rather than flee. Choose the reading that fits the situation, since the two interpretations give quite different advice.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Better bricks, whether molding them or being pelted with them, than taking flight.