Between two stools he comes to the ground.
Meaning: Trying to sit on two stools simultaneously leaves you falling between them, unsupported and hurt.
Origin: Trying to sit on two stools at once, you fall between them. John Gower's Confessio Amantis (1390) has the image, probably from the medieval Latin labitur enitens sellis herere duabus — he falls trying to sit on two seats. It describes anyone who fails by keeping two options open.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Entre deux selles le cul à terre (literally: Between two stools the breech comes to the ground)
- Spanish: Quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta (literally: He who grasps much, squeezes little)
- Japanese: 二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ず (Nito o ou mono wa itto o mo ezu) (literally: He who chases two hares catches neither)
- German: Man kann nicht auf zwei Hochzeiten gleichzeitig tanzen (literally: You cannot dance at two weddings at the same time)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- He must stoop that hath a low door. — Adapting yourself to constraints, however humble, requires humility and flexibility rathe…
- Weight and measure take away strife. — Precise accounting and fair standards prevent disputes over fairness in transactions.
- He that runs in the night stumbles. — Rushing blindly without proper awareness or preparation invites failure and missteps.
- He that stumbles twice over the same stone, deserves to break his shins. — Repeated failure from ignoring lessons demands no sympathy; wisdom lies in changing cours…
- The young suckers drain the old tree. — Young dependents exhaust elderly parents' resources and vitality through continuous deman…
- That suit is best that best fits me. — Individual circumstances determine the right choice, not universal standards or what suit…
From our idioms
- john hancock — One's signature.
- johnny-come-lately — A newcomer.
- jump the gun — To do something prematurely; to start early, before all the preparations have been made.