He who has health has everything — health is the foundation on which all else depends. Without it, wealth, beauty, and success are meaningless.
This proverb is one of the most universal in the Lombard tradition, found in every social class and every period. In the agricultural era, it was literal: the farmer who fell ill could not bring in the harvest, and illness in a household without savings or insurance was a disaster. In the industrial era, the factory worker who was injured lost his livelihood. The Milanese have always worked long hours in demanding conditions, and the body eventually sends the bill. The proverb is used as a toast, as a rebuke to someone who is pushing themselves too hard, as a greeting to a recovering friend, and as a reflection on the experience of serious illness. It is one of the few Milanese proverbs that is never ironic: health is too important for irony.
Universal Lombard proverb. One of the few that is never used ironically — health is a topic the Milanese take with complete seriousness.
A Milanese toast at New Year
— Cosa auguriamo per l'anno nuovo? — Chi ha la salute l'ha tut. Tutto il resto viene da sé.
— ¿Qué deseamos para el año nuevo? — Quien tiene salud lo tiene todo. Todo lo demás viene solo.
A visit to a friend recovering from surgery
— Come stai? — Piano piano. — Chi ha la salute l'ha tut. Il lavoro aspetta, i soldi si fanno, la salute è un'altra cosa.
— ¿Cómo estás? — Poco a poco. — Quien tiene salud lo tiene todo. El trabajo espera, el dinero se hace, la salud es otra cosa.
An elderly Milanese man at his doctor
Ho ottant'anni, ho due pensioni, e mi manca il fiato per salire le scale. Chi ha la salute l'ha tut — e io l'ho capito tardi.
Tengo ochenta años, dos pensiones, y me falta el aliento para subir escaleras. Quien tiene salud lo tiene todo — y lo entendí demasiado tarde.
A Milanese manager telling an employee to take sick leave
— Vengo lo stesso in ufficio. — No. Chi ha la salute l'ha tut. Un giorno di riposo oggi vale tre settimane di degenza domani.
— Voy a la oficina de todas formas. — No. Quien tiene salud lo tiene todo. Un día de descanso hoy vale tres semanas de recuperación mañana.