«قِل مِ الْأَرْضْ وِاخْدِمْ»

The saying advises keeping one's holdings within reach of one's labor. In this dialectal wording, the opening verb means take less, not say, and the second verb means working the land, not serving a person. A farmer who takes only the ground he can properly tend gains more than one who claims wide fields and neglects them.

More broadly, the proverb favors depth of attention over breadth of possession. It can describe any undertaking, such as a business, a household, or a set of responsibilities, where spreading effort too thin wastes resources that focused, diligent work would turn into real results.

Fits moments when someone wants to take on more land, projects, or duties than they can look after. It works as gentle counsel that a modest holding, well kept, beats a large one left to neglect.