The Prophet ﷺ said, "By Allah, for one of you to take a rope and head out to this mountain, gather firewood, sell it, and become independent of people through it, is better for him than asking people, whether they give him or refuse him."
حدثنا هوذة قال حدثنا عوف عن خلاس
عن النبي ﷺ قال والله لأن يأخذ أحدكم حبلا فينطلق إلى هذا الجبل فيحتطب من الحطب ويبيعه ويستغني به عن الناس خير له من أن يسأل الناس أعطوه أو حرموه
No references are available.
Its isnad is sahih. Bukhari related it, 3/149, in zakat, chapter on refraining from asking for help, and Muslim, 2/721, no. 1042, in zakat, similarly, and Tirmidhi, 3/55, no. 680, and Nasai, 5/93, no. 2584.