Enough and to spare is too much.
Meaning: Abundance beyond necessity breeds excess and waste, inviting trouble rather than security.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Wisdom
- He that throws away his estate with his hands, goes afterwards to pick it upon his feet. — Careless squandering forces you into degrading labor to recover what you carelessly destr…
- He that knows himself best, esteems himself least. — Self-awareness diminishes arrogance; intimate knowledge of our flaws humbles our self-reg…
- Let every tub stand on its own bottom. — Each person must support themselves financially and practically without depending on othe…
- Proportion your expenses to what you have, not to what you expect. — Spending based on current resources prevents financial ruin when anticipated income or ga…
- Experience is a dear school, but it is the only one we are apt to learn in. — Costly mistakes teach us what lectures cannot: wisdom requires personal suffering to beco…
- Better one eye than quite blind. — Partial knowledge or capability, however limited, surpasses complete deprivation.
From our idioms
- en la cuerda floja — To be in a precarious or dangerous position; to be walking a fine line between safety and…
- de aquellos polvos, estos lodos — Consequences or problems arise later from careless or harmful actions taken earlier; misd…
- a contracorriente — To act or think in opposition to prevailing opinion, custom, or the natural course of eve…