In an age when, as Tao saw it, the court gentleman lived a life of shameless wealth and competition, he refused to kowtow to insignificant non-entities just for the sake of collecting his salary. Although he had a garden he could return to, he was not well off and could not even grow enough for his own needs.
處於「士大夫浮華奔競，廉恥掃地」的時代，不肯為五斗米向鄉里小人折腰的陶淵明，雖有田園可歸，卻已是親老家貧，耕植不足以自給的景況。