Meaning & Analysis
Effort, struggle, or hardship is required to obtain anything of value; nothing comes without a cost, as if decreed by divine order.
Insights
Sacralization of Labor
The proverb elevates toil to a sacred or inevitable condition of human existence, implying that struggle is divinely ordained as the necessary price for all rewards or achievements.
Value Through Sacrifice
It figuratively suggests that true worth or meaning is inseparable from the effort expended to attain it; pain and labor confer value upon outcomes, infusing them with deeper significance.
Universal Law of Effort
The saying symbolizes a universal principle—that diligence and perseverance are the foundation for every accomplishment, reflecting a natural or cosmic law rather than mere social convention.
Theological Roots
This proverb echoes biblical and religious traditions that frame labor and suffering as intrinsic to the human condition, recalling the expulsion from Eden and the doctrine that 'by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.'
Cultural Work Ethic
The idea resonates with Protestant and broader European work ethics, which valorize industriousness and treat hard work as both morally virtuous and practically necessary—a cultural pillar underlying modern attitudes toward effort and reward.
Counter to Entitlement
By stressing that pains are the 'price' set by God, the proverb implicitly counters notions of entitlement, warning against expecting reward without exertion, and advocating for humility and gratitude for hard-earned gains.
Cross-Cultural Parallels
Related proverbs—like 'Nothing is given us in this life without much labor' and 'No pains, no gains'—demonstrate a widespread recognition that effort underpins all value, reflecting a global human consensus on the cost of achievement.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
Pain is metaphorically described as a 'price,' creating an economic analogy that clarifies the transactional nature of effort and reward.
Personification
God is depicted as actively assigning value to things by setting the 'price' of pain, lending authority and universality to the message.
Universal Statement
The phrase 'upon all things' gives the proverb sweeping, inclusive scope, suggesting no exceptions to this rule.
Transcription
Quotations
(Pains is).
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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