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  What it means

  Let us love each other like brothers, but settle accounts like Jews. Keep friendship and business separate; be generous in affection but precise in money matters.

  Vocabulary

  • kochać się — to love each other
  • brat — brother
  • liczyć się — to count with each other, to settle accounts
  • Żyd — Jew

  Grammar note

  'Kochajmy się' and 'liczmy się' are first-person plural imperatives (cohortative: 'let us...'). 'Jak bracia' and 'jak Żydzi' use the nominative in comparative constructions.

  Cultural context

  A historically attested Polish proverb reflecting folk attitudes toward commerce. The stereotype of Jewish financial precision was common in older Polish folk speech. The proverb's core message is about separating personal warmth from financial dealings.

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