Protestant work ethic

n. The idea that work and success in worldly affairs are both a moral duty and an indication of God's favor for Christians. The idea was developed by Max Weber, who associated it with the rise of capitalism in late medieval Europe in his book The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism. The ethic has been used in later work to refer to an orientation in any group that emphasizes the moral duty of hard work and success as a sign of righteousness.