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  What it means

  “He who wants heaven must suffer, and he who wants bread must work.” Nothing worthwhile comes without effort or sacrifice — whether spiritual salvation or daily sustenance.

  English equivalent

  No pain, no gain.

  Vocabulary

  • niebo — heaven, sky
  • cierpieć — to suffer
  • chleb — bread
  • pracować — to work
  • trzeba — one must, it is necessary

  Grammar note

  'Trzeba' is an impersonal predicate requiring an infinitive. The parallel structure 'kto chce X … X trzeba' creates a neat rhetorical balance.

  Cultural context

  The pairing of heaven and bread reflects the dual concerns of Polish folk life: spiritual salvation and physical survival.

  Intermediate

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