Of two evils choose the lesser.

Meaning: When facing unavoidable harm, select the option causing minimum damage rather than suffering the worst possible outcome.

Origin: From 'A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases' (1870). Public domain.

Translations

• French: De deux maux il faut choisir le moindre (literally: Of two evils choose the least)

← Back to Proverbs

Loading the full interactive collection…