Where did this saying originate.
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
I am glad my Dad, Uncles and some family friends had patience.
Bgberlin wrote:
Confucius?
Who ever said it the first time hit the nail on the head.
Maimonedes: a 12th century Spanish philosopher.
...if he learns to make a net, he'll start a small business copied by others. And before you might have guessed, tuna is $1.50 for a five-ounce can.
Glad I got stuck at the beginner stage, learning to fish.
Dad told me a story about when I was 3/4 maybe ,a friend of his was catching fish I was not.
He said I just looked at him told him to move over I guess he did and I still didn't catch any, but years later they would laugh about it when we all went deer hunting.
John D
Loc: Duncanville Alabama
EasternOZ,
A good many people would like to ascribe the saying to Jesus but it actually originated from the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu.
John D
Loc: Duncanville Alabama
EasternOZ,
A good many people would like to ascribe the saying to Jesus but it actually originated from the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu.
EasternOZ wrote:
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
I am glad my Dad, Uncles and some family friends had patience.
From quoteinvestigator.com:
"In 1885 a statement that did refer to fishing and partially matched the modern adage appeared in the novel “Mrs. Dymond” by the popular novelist Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie. ‘He certainly doesn’t practise his precepts, but I suppose the Patron meant that if you give a man a fish he is hungry again in an hour. If you teach him to catch a fish you do him a good turn. But these very elementary principles are apt to clash with the leisure of the cultivated classes.’
Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie deserves credit for formulating a striking adage that used fishing as a paradigmatic task enabling self-sufficiency. The saying evolved over time and became more memorable by mentioning the ability to eat for a lifetime. The claim that the adage was an old proverb from China, Italy, India or somewhere else has only weak support at this time."
So, there you go E-O, take your pick.
I'm glad that's settled.
And then there's the theory that the saying was first offered by a woman named Ann; Ann Onymous, was her name... I think...
And then there's the OTHER (humourous?) version; "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he'll sit there and drink beer all day !"
URrrrp.. but who's pointing fingers?
If you want to reply, then
register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.