a man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
One who neglects their health is like a worker neglecting their essential equipment
Literally: a comparison of a man to a mechanic
Examples
He's a man too busy to take care of his health, like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “a man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools” mean?
One who neglects their health is like a worker neglecting their essential equipment Literally: a comparison of a man to a mechanic
Is “a man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.