- English translation
Eat like a camel if you like, but be up and working before everyone else.
- Literal wording
Eat the way camels eat, and get up before the men.
- Meaning and lesson
A large appetite is nothing to be ashamed of, provided it is earned. Whoever eats as much as a camel should also be up and working before anyone else, so that effort justifies consumption and no one can fault the amount taken.
More broadly, the saying ties a person's right to enjoy plenty to diligence and readiness. It is not general approval of overeating: indulgence is acceptable only when it comes with early, energetic work, while someone who eats much but lags behind invites criticism.
- When it is used
Suited to light, approving remarks about a hard worker with a big appetite, or to gently remind someone who eats heartily that they should also be first to start the day's labor. Best used informally among family, friends, or coworkers.
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- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Eat like a camel if you like, but be up and working before everyone else.