Meaning & Analysis
Acquiring knowledge, skill, or expertise does not add any physical weight or encumbrance to a person; it is an intangible asset that can be carried effortlessly.
Insights
The Portability of True Wealth
The proverb is a metaphor for the inherent and unlosable value of intellectual assets. Unlike material wealth, which can be a burden to carry and can be lost or stolen, knowledge is a portable and permanent possession that enriches a person without cost or liability.
Knowledge as Empowerment
It suggests that skill and knowledge are forms of empowerment that lighten life's difficulties rather than adding to them. The more one knows, the more capable and adaptable one becomes, thus reducing the 'burden' of life's challenges.
The Unqualified Benefit of Skill
The proverb implies that there is no downside to learning. It is a purely additive process that enhances one's capabilities and resilience without any negative trade-offs, making it an infinitely desirable pursuit.
Evolution of 'Cunning'
The proverb's use of 'cunning' reflects the word's original meaning of 'knowledge' or 'skill' (from Old English 'cunnan'), before it acquired modern connotations of deceit. The variants provided in the data ('Knowledge', 'Skill') confirm this historical sense, celebrating intellectual prowess as an unalloyed good.
Classical Philosophical Roots
Ray's 1670 citation explicitly links the proverb to the classical ideal articulated by Bias of Priene, one of the Seven Sages of Greece, who stated he carried all his possessions with him—meaning his intellect. This highlights a timeless philosophical value placed on intangible, internal wealth over material goods.
Psychology of Learning
The proverb psychologically reframes the effort of learning not as a chore or a weight, but as a liberating and empowering acquisition. It counters the perception of intellectual pursuit as laborious by emphasizing its ultimate benefit as a weightless, permanent asset.
Rhetorical Devices
Negated Metaphor
The proverb is built on a negated metaphor. By denying that knowledge is a 'burden', it powerfully implies its opposite: that it is a weightless, freeing, and valuable asset.
Litotes
The statement is a form of litotes, or understatement. By saying knowledge is 'no burden', it subtly emphasizes its immense positive value, making the assertion more compelling than a direct claim like 'knowledge is valuable'.
Aphorism
The proverb's concise, direct, and memorable structure makes it a powerful aphorism for the value of education and self-improvement.
Transcription
Quotations
Connyngse (be it neuer so moche) semeth no burden to hym that hath hit.
Cunnyngs (they say) is no burthen.
Kunninge would nowe be, I perceive, no burden.
Sapiens sua bona secum fert. Knowledge is no burthen.
(Skill).
(Knowledge).
Knowledge is eith [easily] born about.
(Knowledge).
[As in 1641 Ferg.].
*It is part of Bias his goods, it will not hinder a mans flight when the enemies are at hand.
(Skill).
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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