If you are too smart to pay the doctor, you had better be too smart to get ill.

The proverb wryly links prudence with responsibility: if someone prides themselves on being “too smart” to spend money on medical care, they should be equally “smart” about avoiding the behaviors and neglect that lead to illness. It criticizes false economy and the self-deception of refusing necessary help while still expecting to escape consequences. More broadly, it underscores a communal ethic common to many proverbial traditions: health is not only a matter of fate but also of choices, and refusing to contribute (pay) for expertise or care is shortsighted. The humor sharpens the moral lesson—wisdom is proven by practical foresight, not by stinginess.