# man shall not live by bread alone

idiom · CEFR C1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/man-shall-not-live-by-bread-alone
Updated: 2026-07-29

## Meaning

People need more than material things; spiritual or emotional nourishment matters too.

## Examples

- Take a break and enjoy life — man shall not live by bread alone.
- 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.

## 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.