«صَيِّفْ بِمِحْرَاتَكْ وَلَا تْصَيِّفْ بمِنْجَلَكْ»

The saying uses the verb for going out to gather grain and fodder at summer harvest, not for passing the summer. It teaches that a plentiful yield is earned at the start: whoever wants a full store should plough well and sow with care, because the crop is decided long before anyone picks up a harvesting blade.

More broadly, it warns against counting on frantic effort at collection time to make up for neglected preparation. The contrast is between sowing and reaping; it does not dismiss the sickle or harvest work itself. Gathering more at the end cannot replace groundwork skipped at the beginning.

Suited to advising someone that real gains come from careful groundwork done early, such as studying before exams or investing effort when a project begins, rather than trying to make up the difference with last-minute scrambling when results are due.