ProverbWisdomEnglish origin

Too much liberty spoils all.

Meaning: Unlimited freedom without restraint breeds chaos; boundaries enable flourishing.

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.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 2 more languages

  • French: Trop de zèle gâte tout (literally: Too much zeal spoils all)
  • Spanish: Ni tanto ni tan calvo (literally: Neither so much nor so bald (avoid both extremes))
  • Japanese: 過ぎたるは猶及ばざるが如し (Sugitaru wa nao oyobazaru ga gotoshi) (literally: Going too far is just like falling short)
  • German: Allzu viel ist ungesund (literally: Too much is unhealthy)
  • Italian: Il troppo stroppia (literally: Too much cripples)
  • Polish: Co za dużo, to niezdrowo (literally: Too much is unhealthy)
  • Chinese: 过犹不及 (Guò yóu bù jí) (literally: Going too far is as bad as falling short)

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