People
Life is like a sewer. What you get out of it depends on what you put into it.
— Tom Lehrer
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
A cheerfully grim joke twisting the familiar idea that you get back what you put in. Comparing life to a sewer keeps the encouraging structure but swaps in an unpleasant image, so the comforting saying becomes a wry, slightly dirty warning.
Context reviewed