by the sweat of one's brow

Idioms  

1. By hard work, as in The only way he'll succeed is by the sweat of his brow. This figurative usage appears in the Bible (Genesis 31:9), where Adam's punishment for eating fruit in Eden is “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread”—that is, he will have to work for his bread, or living. [c. 1600]

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Example Sentences

I am a farmer in the 300-to-400-acre bracket, and it is not enough anymore to work by the sweat of one's brow.

From Time Magazine Archive

The literalness of the saying "making a living by the sweat of one's brow" dawned upon her for the first time.

From By Right of Conquest A Novel by Hornblow, Arthur

To gain one's bread by the sweat of one's brow, is a curse.

From The Sable Cloud A Southern Tale With Northern Comments (1861) by Adams, Nehemiah