- English translation
Sow your field and you will have grain for the mill.
- Literal wording
Whoever scatters [seed] grinds [grain].
- Meaning and lesson
The saying links an act of preparation to its later payoff. A farmer who sows seed by hand across the field will eventually have grain to crack coarsely in a hand mill, while one who never sows has nothing to grind. The first verb here means sowing, not splashing liquid.
More broadly, it holds that rewards follow from one's own earlier effort, not from luck or windfall. Diligence brings results, and anyone hoping to enjoy the fruits of work must first be willing to do the work.
- When it is used
Suitable for encouraging someone to put in work now, or for remarking that a person's good results came from their own labor rather than luck. It can also gently remind an idle person that without effort there is nothing to collect.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Sow your field and you will have grain for the mill.