- English translation
Whatever you plant, you can pull up again, except a person: put one in place, and he will pull you up.
- Literal wording
Everything you plant, you uproot, except the one with the black head: you plant him, and he uproots you.
- Meaning and lesson
Anything a grower puts in the ground stays under the grower's control and can be pulled out whenever the grower likes. A person is different. If you set someone up in a job, a post, or a livelihood, that person may later scheme to remove you from your own place.
The proverb voices a bitter, sweeping distrust of human gratitude, holding that loyalty is rare in most people, so a favor that lifts someone into position can turn against its giver. 'The black-headed one' simply means a human being, in contrast with plants; it does not refer to skin color, ethnicity, or any group.
- When it is used
Said ruefully after someone you sponsored, hired, or helped into a position starts working to push you out, or as a warning before such a favor. It suits complaints about ingratitude in work, business, or family. Aimed at a named person, it can sound like an accusation of betrayal.
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- Colloquial
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How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Whatever you plant, you can pull up again, except a person: put one in place, and he will pull you up.