The saying "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime"
But I want to add more "— but choose wisely, for one may share his catch, while another may hoard the waters."
This
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime — but choose wisely, for one may share his catch, while another may hoard the waters."
Does it work better?
Comments (7)
The saying is from a time before someone could own the water body as their private property
I dont really like it because its betraying the intent behind it.
The goal is to that you need to develop people to have a sense of self-reliance instead of relying on others.
The both fishermen, whom are sharing his catch and hoarding the waters, is only further creating a problem about reliance on others for themselves.
I see where you’re coming from, and I totally understand your perspective. My intention behind reworking the phrase wasn’t to stray from its original meaning of fostering self-reliance. I’ve always interpreted the quote as emphasizing the value of teaching others so they can grow, and, ideally, share that knowledge as well. But in today’s world, I feel like we sometimes see people sharing knowledge less freely — with some gatekeeping what they’ve learned or even monetizing it in ways that prevent it from being accessible to others. That’s why I tried to expand on the idea, to reflect how modern tendencies might sometimes complicate the greater goal of teaching as a way to build a collective foundation for the future.
On a side note, I also believe that teaching comes with a certain responsibility. When you impart knowledge, you’re handing someone a tool, and how that tool is used may depend on the person. For example, teaching someone about plants could lead one person to develop life-saving medicines, while another might use that same knowledge to cause harm, like poisoning or worse. That’s partly why I added the “choose wisely” bit—there’s always something at stake when you decide to teach. 2/
I'm sorry but all I'm thinking of is that one news reporter who kept getting this quote wrong
https://youtu.be/ncRi8bZL1q4?si=LDwwb2ziitdTkGpL
The comments are priceless xD
I like it, very philosophical