Proverbs 13:11
“Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but he who gathers by hand makes it grow.”
What does Proverbs 13:11 mean?
Money earned through shortcuts, schemes, or compromise tends to slip through your fingers, often faster than you'd expect. When you build something through honest work—whether that's a business, a savings account, or a reputation—it has a solid foundation that can actually grow and compound over time. The proverb isn't promising that honest work makes you rich, but rather that there's a real difference between ill-gotten gains that evaporate and wealth built on integrity that has staying power. It speaks to something many people discover the hard way: shortcuts often cost more than they save.
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