grasp all, lose all
Meaning: If you try to get too much, you may end up with nothing.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “He bid on every house on the street and got none of them: grasp all, lose all.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: An old proverb found in English from the 14th century in various forms, with similar sayings in French and other languages.
Equivalents in other languages
- Hebrew: תפסת מרובה לא תפסת (Tafasta merubah lo tafasta) — literally: If you grabbed a lot, you grabbed nothing
- Thai: จับปลาสองมือ — literally: To catch fish with both hands
- French: Qui trop embrasse mal étreint — literally: He who embraces too much holds badly
More idioms — Daily Life
- the power behind the throne — Someone with no official title who secretly controls a leader.
- born in a trunk — Raised in a family of traveling performers and in the business from childhood.
- the road to hell is paved with good intentions — Good intentions are worthless, or even harmful, if they lead to bad actions.
- against all odds — Despite great difficulty or opposition.
- cold hard cash — Actual money in coins and bills, not credit or promises.
- cherchez la femme — There is probably a woman behind this situation.
More English idioms
- fall into someone's lap — To come to someone without any effort.
- throw money down the drain — To waste money.
- fire in the belly — Strong ambition and drive.
- all fired up — Very excited or enthusiastic.
- the oldest trick in the book — A very familiar trick that should not fool anyone.
- a slippery slope — A small step that leads to worse and worse consequences.