- English translation
Cheese comes in its paper and bread from the market, so why go to any trouble?
- Literal wording
The cheese on the little paper, and the morsel from the little market.
- Meaning and lesson
The image is of a meal assembled entirely from purchases: cheese that arrives in its paper and bread that is simply bought, leaving nothing to cook or bake. Ready provisions are treated as reason enough to skip any household effort.
People who are careless about their responsibilities offer it in their own defense, framing easygoing habits as plain good sense. The implied challenge is why anyone should toil when everything needed can be obtained without labor. Quoting it approvingly can therefore signal indifference to duties that still need attention.
- When it is used
Said by someone lax about their own affairs as a self-justifying reply when urged to cook, prepare, or take trouble. The speaker points to ready-bought food to argue that effort is pointless and their present ease is perfectly sensible.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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