"He who does not work, neither shall he eat" is an

aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...

from the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

traditionally attributed to

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

. It was later cited by John Smith in the early 1600s colony of

Jamestown, Virginia The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent British colonization of the Americas, English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James River, about southwest of present-day Willia ...

, and broadly by the international socialist movement, from the United StatesJohn Spargo
Socialism. A summary and interpretation of socialist principles
June 1906 to the

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

revolutionary

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

during the early 1900s

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

. The Zen master Baizhang is also well-known for telling his monks a similar aphorism: "A day without work is a day without food" ().

New Testament

The aphorism is found in the

Second Epistle to the Thessalonians The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians is a book from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle, with Timothy as a co-author. The majority of biblical scholars came to conclude that 2 Thessa ...

3:10, the authorship of which is traditionally assigned to

(with Silvanus and

Timothy Timothy is a masculine name. It comes from the Greek language, Greek name (Timotheus (disambiguation), Timόtheos) meaning "honouring God", "in God's honour", or "honoured by God". Timothy (and its variations) is a common name in several countries ...

), where it reads (in translation): : 10 In fact, even when we were with you, we charged that anyone who was unwilling to work should not eat. 11 Now we have been told that some among you are living a life of idleness, not working but acting as busybodies. 12 We command and urge such people in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and earn their own living. The Greek phrase () means "is not willing to work". Other English translations render this as "would" or "will not work", using the archaic sense of "want to, desire to" for the verb "

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

". There is a Jewish proverb, "that if a man would not work, he should not eat". Also:

Jamestown

In the spring of 1609, John Smith cited the aphorism to the colonists of Jamestown:

Countrymen, the long experience of our late miseries I hope is sufficient to persuade everyone to a present correction of himself, And think not that either my pains nor the adventurers' purses will ever maintain you in idleness and sloth... ...the greater part must be more industrious, or starve... You must obey this now for a law, that he that will not work shall not eat (except by sickness he be disabled). For the labors of thirty or forty honest and industrious men shall not be consumed to maintain a hundred and fifty idle loiterers.

Soviet Union

According to

, "He who does not work shall not eat" is a necessary principle under

socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

, the preliminary phase of the evolution towards communist society. The phrase appears in his 1917 work ''

The State and Revolution ''The State and Revolution: The Marxist Doctrine of the State and the Tasks of the Proletariat in the Revolution'' () is a book written by Vladimir Lenin and published in 1917 which describes his views on the role of the state in society, the ne ...

''. Through this slogan Lenin explains that in

socialist states List of socialist states may refer to: * List of non-communist socialist states, a list of states that has self-declared as socialist that are not also communist states * List of communist states A communist state is a form of government that comb ...

only productive individuals could be allowed access to the articles of

consumption Consumption may refer to: * Eating *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically known as consumption * Consumer (food chain), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of n ...

. In Lenin's writing, this was directed at the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

, as well as "those who shirk their work". The principle was enunciated in the Russian Constitution of 1918, and also article twelve of the

1936 Soviet Constitution The 1936 Constitution of the Soviet Union, also known as the Stalin Constitution, was the constitution of the Soviet Union adopted on 5 December 1936. The 1936 Constitution was the second constitution of the Soviet Union and replaced the 1924 ...

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

quoted Lenin during the

Soviet famine of 1930–1933 The Soviet famine of 1930–1933 was a famine in the major grain-producing areas of the Soviet Union, including Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukraine and different parts of Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russia, including ...

, declaring: "He who does not work, neither shall he eat." This perspective is argued by economics professor Michael Ellman to have influenced official policy during the famine, with those deemed to be idlers being disfavored in aid distribution as compared to those deemed "conscientiously working collective farmers"; in this vein, Olga Andriewsky states that Soviet archives indicate that aid in Ukraine was primarily distributed to preserve the collective farm system and only the most productive workers were prioritized for receiving it. Criticizing Stalin,

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

wrote that: "The old principle: who does not work shall not eat, has been replaced with a new one: who does not obey shall not eat."Leon Trotsky (1936) ''

The Revolution Betrayed ''The Revolution Betrayed: What is the Soviet Union and Where is it Going?'' () is a book published in 1936 by the former Soviet leader Leon Trotsky. The book criticized the Soviet Union's actions and development following the death of Vladimir ...

'
Chapter 11: Whither the Soviet Union?
/ref>

References

External links

{{wikiquote Political catchphrases Socialism New Testament words and phrases Vladimir Lenin Ethical principles Second Epistle to the Thessalonians Food politics Refusal of work

New Testament

Jamestown

Soviet Union

See also

References

External links