It’s said ‘Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.’ In Japan, it goes ‘Rice paddies to rice paddies in three generations.’ The Scottish say ‘The father buys, the son builds, the grandchild sells, and his son begs.’ In China, ‘Wealth never survives three generations.’
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Counterpoint, a bog peasant proverb: "Dem Ersten den Tod, dem Zweiten die Not, dem Dritten das Brot" (death to the first, hardship to the second, bread to the third - bog takes a long time to cultivate)