If you borrow, use the money to…

Explore Arabic traditional proverbsReviewed 2026-09-27

Meaning: Verified

English translation: If you borrow, use the money to grow a crop, not just to feed yourself.
Literal wording: Borrow and sow, but do not borrow and swallow.

Meaning and lesson: Debt is more prudent when it supports work that may bring in enough to repay it than when it pays for something consumed at once.
When it is used: Used to advise someone weighing a loan, contrasting productive spending with immediate consumption.

Register: Colloquial, proverbial

Cite or copy proverb

PROVERB (ARABIC)
«اِدَّايِنْ وِازْرَعْ وَلَا تِدَّايِنْ وِتِبْلَعْ»
Literal translation: Borrow and sow, but do not borrow and swallow.
Natural translation: If you borrow, use the money to grow a crop, not just to feed yourself.
Meaning: Debt is more prudent when it supports work that may bring in enough to repay it than when it pays for something consumed at once.
Used when: Used to advise someone weighing a loan, contrasting productive spending with immediate consumption.

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Review state: Verified
Last reviewed: 2026-09-27
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