If You Pursue Wealth, You Won’t Be Benevolent; If You Pursue Benevolence, You Won’t Become Wealthy: Japanese Proverb Meaning

How to Read “If you pursue wealth, you won’t be benevolent; if you pursue benevolence, you won’t become wealthy”

Tomi wo naseba jin narazu, jin wo naseba tomazu

Meaning of “If you pursue wealth, you won’t be benevolent; if you pursue benevolence, you won’t become wealthy”

This proverb expresses the difficulty of balancing economic activity with morality. It says that pursuing wealth conflicts with righteousness, while upholding righteousness prevents you from gaining wealth.

When you try to succeed in business and build a fortune, you must prioritize profit. You might take advantage of someone’s hardship to buy cheap or sell high. But such actions contradict “jin,” the spirit of compassion and caring for others.

On the other hand, if you always consider others’ positions, help those in need, and act without regard for your own profit, you cannot accumulate wealth.

This proverb is used when discussing the dilemma between ideals and reality. It points out the contradictory human desire to live with integrity while also achieving economic success.

Even today, when discussing the balance between business ethics and profit-seeking, people understand this phrase as expressing a fundamental conflict.

Origin and Etymology

There are various theories about the exact origin of this proverb. It likely came from ancient Chinese thought, particularly expressing the conflict between Confucian views on economics and morality.

In Confucianism, “jin” was considered the highest virtue. Jin means compassion and caring for others. Meanwhile, accumulating wealth inevitably involves pursuing profit.

To gain profit in business, you sometimes need to secure more favorable conditions than your counterpart. This cannot be achieved through pure compassion alone.

Ancient China had a class system called “shi-no-ko-sho,” where merchants held the lowest position. This was because merchants didn’t produce anything but gained profit through buying and selling.

Behind this thinking was the recognition of how difficult it is to balance profit-seeking with moral ideals.

This philosophy likely reached Japan during the Edo period when Confucianism spread widely. The samurai class studied Confucianism and evaluated merchants’ economic activities from a moral perspective.

This proverb probably spread during that time. The parallel structure of the phrase clearly shows the influence of Chinese classics.

Usage Examples

• That business owner does nothing but charity work. He’s living proof of “If you pursue wealth, you won’t be benevolent; if you pursue benevolence, you won’t become wealthy.”
• Can’t we survive with honest business alone? “If you pursue wealth, you won’t be benevolent; if you pursue benevolence, you won’t become wealthy” is truly well said.

Universal Wisdom

This proverb has been passed down because it touches on a fundamental contradiction in human society. We all wish to be good people while also wanting to become prosperous.

These two desires should ideally coexist. But in reality, they often conflict.

Why does this conflict arise? Because accumulating wealth is fundamentally an act that creates “differences.” When someone gains, someone else loses.

Market transactions always rest on asymmetries of information and position. Building great wealth through perfectly equal and fair transactions alone is extremely difficult.

Meanwhile, the spirit of benevolence seeks to bridge these “differences.” Those who have share with those who don’t. The strong help the weak.

But if you do this thoroughly, nothing remains in your own hands.

Our ancestors saw through this structural dilemma of human society. That’s why this proverb has been received not as mere cynicism but as deep insight.

Becoming a perfect saint is difficult. Becoming wealthy without guilt is also difficult. This struggle itself may be our essential nature.

When AI Hears This

The ancient society that created this proverb was a typical zero-sum game world. Land and resources were limited. When someone gained wealth, someone else became poor.

For merchants to profit, they had to exploit farmers by buying cheap. For rulers to prosper, they had to raise taxes heavily. In other words, one person’s gain completely opposed another’s.

In this environment, “wealth” and “benevolence” became mathematically incompatible.

However, modern economic systems have shifted to non-zero-sum games. Consider smartphones, for example. Manufacturers gain profit, but consumers also gain the value of convenience.

App developers earn revenue, and advertisers reach customers. The sum of everyone’s benefits becomes positive. Through innovation and creating new markets, the entire pie grows larger.

Even more interesting is that in modern times, “benevolence” has become a strategy that generates “wealth.” Companies that value employees see lower turnover and reduced costs.

Companies that care for the environment gain brand value and increased sales. Game theory research has proven that “cooperative strategies” generate the most profit long-term.

In ancient one-time transactions, betrayal was advantageous. But in modern society where reputation accumulates, cooperation has become rational.

Lessons for Today

This proverb teaches modern people the importance of not demanding perfection. We want to succeed in business while also being respected for our character.

Trying to achieve both perfectly leaves us paralyzed.

What matters is finding your own balance. Pursue economic success while maintaining certain lines you won’t cross. Or be satisfied with moderate wealth and prioritize personal integrity.

Either choice can be correct depending on your values.

This proverb also warns against excessive moral demands on successful people. Expecting those who’ve built wealth to be perfect saints is unrealistic.

Similarly, expecting economic success from those who maintain noble poverty is harsh.

Modern society continues attempting to reconcile wealth and virtue. That’s wonderful. But it’s also important not to forget the essential tension this old proverb reveals.

Being aware of that tension while choosing your own way of life—that’s the wisdom this proverb offers us.