Milk the cow, but do not pull off the udder.

This proverb warns against short‑sighted exploitation: take what you need or what is sustainable (“milk the cow”), but don’t destroy the very source of ongoing benefit (“pull off the udder”). It captures a common agrarian moral logic—resources, relationships, institutions, or natural systems can yield recurring value only if treated with restraint. The image is deliberately visceral to underline the difference between prudent use and ruinous greed. In modern terms it applies to overharvesting, predatory business practices, or any strategy that maximizes immediate gain at the cost of long-term viability.