Szczęścia ojcowskiego syn nie dziedziczy
Listen
What it means
“A son does not inherit his father’s luck.” Good fortune is personal and cannot be passed down — each person must make their own luck in life.
Vocabulary
- szczęście — luck, happiness, fortune
- ojcowski — paternal, father's
- dziedziczyć — to inherit
Grammar note
'Szczęścia ojcowskiego' is the genitive of the noun phrase, required by the negated verb 'nie dziedziczy'. Negation in Polish shifts the direct object to the genitive case.
Cultural context
Pairs naturally with 'Syn tylko worki zliczy, w rozumie nie dziedziczy' — together they form a folk philosophy about the limits of inheritance.
Intermediate
Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!
More Polish proverbs
- "A stepmother, even if made of sugar, is always bitter." No matter how kind a stepmother tries to …
- "For a wise head, two words are enough." A clever person needs only a brief hint to understand; …
- "A Pole is wise after the damage is done." Poles (or people in general) tend to learn from mistakes …
- "The wise will accept advice; the fool will scorn it." Intelligent people are open to counsel, while …