What does this quote mean?
“Build a man a fire and he’ll stay warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he’ll stay warm for the rest of his life.”
I may be the typical jealous exgirlfriend right now, but my ex put this quote on facebook and I was wondering what it meant or possibly why he even put it as a status on the first place.
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16 Answers
It’s something he read somewhere that he really likes right now.
It’s likely not much more.
it a twist on give a man a fish he will have food for a day, teach him how to fish he will have food forever. or he belives that he is being set on fire
It’s just a silly quote. Don’t read anything more in it.
Do yourself a favor and don’t go to his Facebook page.
Did you break up with him by setting him on fire?
He’s talking about the amazing burning man. You know? The superhero who is on fire all the time? That’s how he came into existence.
Well, it is a joke and, as @talljasperman pointed out, a play on the Chinese proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
It literally means that if you provide a man with a fire, it will keep him warm till it burns out, but if you set him on fire, he will be warm (too much so) for the rest of a very short life before the fire consumes him.
@absalom hahah thanks for the laugh
and yes i do try to stay away from his facebook but the new notification thing make everyone see everything! its ridiculous
Actually…..it means…..that if you build a fire a man will be warm for a day….but if an idea, or a passion or something greater-larger-tremendous sets a man on fire….he will carry this fire in his soul to warm him for the rest of his life.
(Or her life…women like fire, too.) :)
I honestly think that he probably read it on a fortune cookie….don’t let this get to you.
I know how painful it is for you…but I don’t think there are hidden meanings….
Unless he is totally dense…in which case, he read this…thinking that “fire” meant something totally different and rude.
Could be.
Why would you concern yourself with an ex that way…life it too short…invest it in the now.
It means that he’s a fan of Terry Pratchett?
(I am)
@sillymichelleyoung You can “hide” people from your Facebook feed. When you see his status notification, take your mouse over it, towards the top right corner of the status message. A “hide” button will appear that you can use to not see his things on your feed. He will not know you have him hidden, and you can unhide him later from your settings.
It means when you do something FOR someone, the result is very temporary. But when you help them to do it by themselves, that stays with them forever. Example feed the poor, or help the poor learn to garden.
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