Don't bite off more than you can chew
Meaning: Don't take on more than you can handle.
Origin: An American saying of the 1870s, usually traced to chewing tobacco, which came in solid plugs that users bit pieces from; someone offered a plug might take more than they could manage. An early example is in John Hanson Beadle's Western Wilds (1877).
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Il ne faut pas avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre (literally: Don't have eyes bigger than your stomach)
- Spanish: Quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta (literally: He who grasps much, holds little)
- Japanese: 身の程を知れ (Mi no hodo wo shire) (literally: Know your own limits)
- German: Wer zu viel fasst, lässt viel fallen (literally: He who grasps too much lets much fall)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Every rose has its thorn — Even the best things have their drawbacks.
- All's well that ends well — A good outcome justifies the difficulties along the way.
- A rolling stone gathers no moss — Those who keep moving avoid stagnation (or commitments).
- Don't burn your bridges — Don't destroy relationships you might need later.
- Pearls before swine — Giving something valuable to those who can't appreciate it.
- Hindsight is 20/20 — Past decisions are always clearer in retrospect.
From our tongue twisters
- Un chasseur sachant chasser doit savoir chasser sans son chien. — The classic French 'ch' / 's' tangler.
- Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal. — A relentless run on the 'tr' sound.
- Fischers Fritz fischt frische Fische, frische Fische fischt Fischers Fritz. — The German 'f' / 'sch' staple.