Bez pracy trudno dostąpić honoru.
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What it means
“Without work it is hard to attain honour.” Respect and recognition have to be earned through effort. Honour without hard work is difficult, if not impossible, to gain.
English equivalent
Honour comes from hard work.
Vocabulary
- praca — work, labour
- trudno — it is difficult, hard
- dostąpić — to attain, to achieve, to be granted (formal/elevated register)
- honor — honour, respect
Grammar note
'Bez pracy' , genitive after 'bez'. 'Dostąpić honoru' , 'dostąpić' takes the genitive: 'to attain honour' = 'dostąpić honoru'.
Cultural context
The elevated verb 'dostąpić' gives this proverb a more formal, almost noble tone compared to the blunter 'bez pracy nie ma kołaczy'.
Intermediate
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