Take a break and enjoy life — man shall not live by bread alone.
man shall not live by bread alone
idiomPeople need more than material things; spiritual or emotional nourishment matters too.
Origin
Jesus quotes the line in Matthew 4:4 while resisting temptation in the wilderness, telling the tempter that man shall not live by bread alone. He is himself quoting older scripture — Deuteronomy 8:3, where Moses reminds Israel that they were fed manna to teach them dependence on more than food.
Bread here stands for material sustenance in general, and the saying insists that physical provision, however necessary, is not by itself enough to make a life.
In English man shall not live by bread alone is now used broadly and often secularly, to argue that money and comfort are not everything and that people also need meaning, beauty, or connection to thrive.
The salary was good, but man shall not live by bread alone, and he missed doing work that meant something.
The city had chased prosperity for decades and largely caught it, yet its planners were slowly rediscovering that man shall not live by bread alone, and that parks, music, and public life mattered as much to a place as its balance sheet.
The Gospels and the Sermon on the Mount.
- 01
the salt of the earth (idiom)
Good, honest, dependable people who lack pretension.
- 02
a wolf in sheep's clothing (idiom)
A dangerous or hostile person who hides behind a harmless, friendly appearance.
- 03
cast the first stone (idiom)
To act self-righteously in accusing another person, believing oneself to be blameless.
- 04
go the extra mile (idiom)
To make an extra effort; to do a particularly good job.
- 05
turn the other cheek (idiom)
To accept punishment or injury without retaliating.
- 06
the blind leading the blind (idiom)
A situation in which someone incompetent is guiding others who are equally incompetent.