A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
Meaning: A group's effectiveness is limited by its weakest member.
Origin: The Scottish philosopher Thomas Reid wrote in Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man (1786) that in any chain of reasoning, the conclusion can be no stronger than the weakest link of the chain. He meant arguments, but the image transferred easily to anything whose strength depends on a single point of failure.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Une chaîne n'est jamais plus solide que son maillon le plus faible (literally: A chain is never stronger than its weakest link)
- Spanish: Una cadena es tan fuerte como su eslabón más débil (literally: A chain is as strong as its weakest link)
- Japanese: 鎖は最も弱い環の強さ (Kusari wa mottomo yowai wa no tsuyosa) (literally: A chain is the strength of its weakest link)
- German: Eine Kette ist nur so stark wie ihr schwächstes Glied (literally: A chain is only as strong as its weakest link)
More proverbs about Communication
- Silence speaks volumes — What is not said can be more meaningful than what is.
- There's no such thing as bad publicity — Any attention, even negative, can be beneficial.
- Many hands make light work — Tasks are easier when shared among many people.
- What you see is what you get — There's nothing hidden or disguised.
- The customer is always right — In business, the customer's satisfaction takes priority.
- A gentle word opens an iron gate — Kindness and diplomacy can overcome even the most resistant obstacles.
From our tongue twisters
- 赤パジャマ黄パジャマ茶パジャマ (Aka pajama, ki pajama, cha pajama) — A rapid-fire drill on colour words; the syllable shift from aka/ki/cha trips the tongue b…
- 坊主が屏風に上手に坊主の絵を描いた (Bōzu ga byōbu ni jōzu ni bōzu no e o kaita) — A sustained 'b' and long-vowel drill — bōzu/byōbu/jōzu demand precise mouth control.
- 隣の客はよく柿食う客だ (Tonari no kyaku wa yoku kaki kuu kyaku da) — A tricky spiral on ka/ki/ku that accelerates as you try to keep the syllables distinct.