Man does not live by bread alone
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
People need intellectual, emotional, or spiritual nourishment as well as material necessities. Traditional man is generic; people do not live by bread alone is a natural inclusive form. Regional use: Late Middle English biblical translation; now widespread.
Origin
In Matthew 4:4, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy while resisting temptation: a person does not live by bread alone but by every word from God. The Wycliffe Bible has the close Middle English form a man liveth not in bread alone. Later translations changed the preposition and verb form, while secular use broadened bread from literal food to material provision generally. The shortened modern saying often omits the verse's second half but retains its contrast between bodily subsistence and a fuller life.
Research Sources
Variants
- Man cannot live by bread alone
Usage Examples
- The budget covers food and shelter, but man does not live by bread alone.
- She defended the arts programme by saying that people cannot live by bread alone.
- A decent workplace needs respect as well as wages; man does not live by bread alone.