He who is everywhere is nowhere
Meaning: Trying to do too many things at once means accomplishing nothing properly.
Origin: From Seneca's second letter to Lucilius: nusquam est qui ubique est. Seneca was advising his friend to read a few great authors deeply rather than skim many, just as people who spend their lives traveling find many places to stay but no real friendships.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Celui qui est partout n'est nulle part (literally: He who is everywhere is nowhere)
- Spanish: El que está en todas partes no está en ninguna (literally: He who is everywhere is nowhere)
- Japanese: どこにでもいる者はどこにもいない (Doko ni demo iru mono wa doko ni mo inai) (literally: He who is everywhere is nowhere)
- German: Wer zwei Hasen zugleich jagt, fängt keinen (literally: He who hunts two hares at once catches none)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Do not go where the path may lead; go where there is no path and leave a trail — True innovation and leadership mean forging your own way rather than following the crowd.
- A nail is driven out by another nail — New habits, relationships, or ideas can effectively replace and eliminate old ones.
- The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook — True wisdom includes knowing which details and offenses are not worth your attention or e…
- A bad penny always comes back — Undesirable people or problems have a persistent way of reappearing despite your efforts…
- A buck's a buck — Money retains equal value regardless of its source or the circumstances under which it wa…
- A cat may look at a king — Even the humblest creature possesses the right to observe or question those of highest st…