Business before pleasure

Business before pleasure

Russian translation

Сначала дело, потом удовольствие.
Дело прежде всего.

Variations

Business first, pleasure afterwards.
Business comes before pleasure.
Duty before pleasure.

Synonyms

Business is the salt of life.
Business is business.

Comparison

Кончил дело - гуляй смело.
Делу время, потехе час.

Examples

Max rose. "But, Rodney, aren't you staying for lunch? I thought ..." "I'm afraid I'll have to go. Business before pleasure, you know. McFadden Pulley need me." (Masters)

"Baines," he said, "will you take me for a walk this afternoon?" "No," Mrs. Baines said, "No! That he won't. Not with all the silver to clean." "There's a fortnight to do it in." Baines said. "Work first, pleasure afterwards." (Greene)

Whereupon, Jeeves, Miss Sipperley wrote back, saying that she quite realized that work must come before pleasure - pleasure being her loose way of describing the act of singing songs at the Beckley-on-the-Moor concert and getting the laugh from the local toughs. (Wodehouse)