ProverbWisdomGerman origin1512

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater

Meaning: Don't discard something valuable while getting rid of unwanted things.

Origin: A German proverb, das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten, first recorded in Thomas Murner's satire Narrenbeschwörung (1512). Thomas Carlyle brought it into English in the 19th century. It warns against discarding something valuable along with what is unwanted.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and Dutch

  • French: Il ne faut pas jeter le bébé avec l'eau du bain (literally: Don't throw the baby with the bathwater)
  • Spanish: Tirar al niño con el agua sucia (literally: To throw out the child with the dirty water)
  • Japanese: 角を矯めて牛を殺す (Tsuno wo tamete ushi wo korosu) (literally: Killing the ox by straightening its horns)
  • German: Das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten (literally: To pour out the child with the bath)
  • Dutch: Het kind met het badwater weggooien (literally: To throw the child out with the bathwater)

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