ఒకడి పాటు, పదిమంది సాపాటు.

okadi patu, padimandi sapatu.

Translation

One person's hard work provides a meal for ten.

Meaning

This proverb highlights a situation where the labor or earnings of a single individual support an entire group or family. It is often used to describe a sole breadwinner in a household or a leader whose efforts benefit many followers.

Related Phrases

Whatever work is neglected, eating is not forgotten.

This proverb highlights that regardless of one's struggles, difficulties, or busy schedule, the basic necessity of eating is unavoidable and essential for survival. It is often used to emphasize that humans must work to satisfy their hunger, or as a justification for taking a break to eat despite being in the middle of a crisis.

One person's earnings are shared by ten people.

This proverb refers to a situation where a single individual is the sole breadwinner for a large extended family or a group of dependents. It describes the burden of one person's hard work sustaining many others, often used when discussing family responsibilities or collective dependency on one source of income.

The path walked by ten people is a road, the word spoken by ten people is the truth.

This proverb emphasizes the power of collective opinion and consensus. It suggests that when a large group of people follows a certain path or agrees on a particular statement, it gains legitimacy and becomes the established norm or truth. It is used to highlight that communal agreement carries more weight than individual opinion.

Work involving ten people is spoiled.

This proverb is equivalent to the English saying 'Too many cooks spoil the broth.' It suggests that when too many people are involved in a single task, conflicting opinions and lack of coordination lead to failure or poor results.

Wind's song, wealth's clarity

This expression highlights the fleeting and unpredictable nature of both wind and wealth. Just as the wind changes direction or stops suddenly, and as water clarity can be disturbed in an instant, wealth is seen as temporary and unstable. It is used to caution against being over-proud of one's riches, reminding that fortune can vanish as quickly as it came.

Work happens only when ten people join together

This expression emphasizes the importance of teamwork and collective effort. It suggests that significant tasks or social responsibilities cannot be accomplished by an individual alone and require the cooperation of the community or a group.

A snake falling among a lot of people will not die. A bad man often escapes through the difference of opinion among others as to his guilt, as a snake does through the Hindu's super- stitious dread of killing it.

This proverb describes a situation where a task remains unfinished because too many people are involved, but no one takes individual responsibility. When many people are present, everyone assumes someone else will handle the problem (in this case, killing the snake), leading to inaction. It is equivalent to the English idiom 'Too many cooks spoil the broth' or 'Everybody's business is nobody's business'.

A mistake within a habit

This expression is used to describe a mistake that occurs unintentionally due to a routine or a long-standing habit. It is often used as a lighthearted excuse when someone does something out of force of habit even when the situation demands otherwise.

One man's gains are shared by ten. A man's relations live on him.

This expression refers to a situation where a single breadwinner's income supports a large family or is distributed among many dependents. It is used to describe the burden of responsibility on one individual or to highlight a selfless person whose hard work benefits many others.

The death of ten people is equal to a wedding.

This proverb suggests that when a disaster or misfortune is shared by a large group, it becomes easier to bear than a personal tragedy. Similar to how people gather for a wedding, a collective struggle provides a sense of solidarity and reduces individual grief.