Arbeit macht frei

Etymology
+ + . The phrase has been used since at least the early 1800s, and appears for example in Heinrich Beta's 1845 Geld und Geist. How the National Socialists came to have an affinity for the phrase is unclear; it may have been a reference to concentration camps' ostensible purpose as work camps. attributes the decision to use it over concentration camp gates to.

Proverb

 * 1) Work makes you free; work brings freedom.

Usage notes
The National Socialists (Nazis) set this phrase over the gates of several major concentration camps, for which reason it is only rarely used today.