Pension never enriched young man.

This proverb-like line is attributed to George Herbert in the tradition of his moral and practical maxims, especially those circulated under his name in collections of “Outlandish Proverbs.” In early modern England, a “pension” commonly meant a stipend or allowance granted by a patron or the Crown—often tied to dependence, court service, or political favor rather than earned income. Herbert’s aphorisms frequently warn against the moral and economic hazards of relying on patronage. The saying reflects a social world in which young men sought advancement through pensions and preferments, and where such support could be seen as fostering idleness, obligation, or precarious reliance on others’ goodwill.

Herbert’s point is that unearned stipends rarely make a young person truly “rich”—not only in money, but in character and capacity. A pension may provide short-term comfort, yet it can discourage industry, skill-building, and the habits that lead to durable prosperity. The line also carries a moral warning: dependence on a patron can compromise freedom and integrity, since the recipient may feel pressured to please or conform. In Herbert’s proverbial mode, the statement is less an economic law than a counsel about formation: youth is the time to cultivate self-reliance and productive work, because wealth that arrives without effort often fails to take root or to last.