--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be idle and to be poor have always…" description: "\"To be idle and to be poor have always been reproaches, and therefore every man endeavors with his utmost care to hide his poverty from others, and his ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/samuel-johnson-50_care_to-be-idle-and-to-be-poor-have-always-be_781866.png" --- # To be idle and to be poor have always been reproaches, and… ![“To be idle and to be poor have always been reproaches, and therefore every man endeavors with his utmost care to hide his poverty from others, and his idleness from himself.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/samuel-johnson-50_care_to-be-idle-and-to-be-poor-have-always-be_781866.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/samuel-johnson-50_care_to-be-idle-and-to-be-poor-have-always-be_781866.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/samuel-johnson-50_care_to-be-idle-and-to-be-poor-have-always-be_781866.png) > “To be idle and to be poor have always been reproaches, and therefore every man endeavors with his utmost care to hide his poverty from others, and his idleness from himself.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Idle and poor are socially shamed, prompting people to conceal both external poverty and internal laziness. **In simple terms:** People hide poverty and laziness due to shame. Key Takeaway Be honest about struggles. Themes social stigma poverty idleness Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - job search - financial planning - self‑assessment Key Concepts self‑deception social perception Questions to Reflect On - What are the costs of hiding hardship? - How can you foster openness about need? A Different Perspective Denial can prevent seeking help. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Every man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-man/) [Hide Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hide-poverty-4218940/) [Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idle/) [Idle Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idle-poor-3572550/) [Idleness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idleness/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Poverty Idleness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty-idleness-6023293/) [Procrastination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastination/) ## Related quotes > [When the idle poor, Become the idle rich, You'll never know, Just who is who, Or who is which.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-the-idle-poor-become-the-idle-rich-you-ll-never-know-just-who-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Never, never hide your pain, scream as if you are dying so you will not be harmed more. Never, never hide your poverty, too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/never-never-hide-your-pain-scream-as-if-you-are-dying-so-you-will-not/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [“There are two types of patience. One is exercised in hard work and the other in idleness. Patience with hard work is the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/there-are-two-types-of-patience-one-is-exercised-in-hard-work-and-the/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Be ashamed to catch yourself idle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/be-ashamed-to-catch-yourself-idle/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [An idle man has a constant tendency to torpidity. 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The bird that sits is easily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/rather-do-what-is-nothing-to-the-purpose-than-be-idle-that-the-devil/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [The idle brain is the devil's playground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-lange/the-idle-brain-is-the-devil-s-playground/) [Eric Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-lange/) > [“Reality has a tendency to reveal itself when man is idle, and so it is because of this that idleness is often regarded as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vd/reality-has-a-tendency-to-reveal-itself-when-man-is-idle-and-so-it-is/) [VD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vd/) > [One of the amusements of idleness is reading without the fatigue of close attention; and the world therefore swarms with writers whose wish is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/one-of-the-amusements-of-idleness-is-reading-without-the-fatigue-of/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Locke, whom there is no reason to suspect of being a favorer of idleness or libertinism, has advanced that whoever hopes to employ any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/locke-whom-there-is-no-reason-to-suspect-of-being-a-favorer-of/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. 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