proverb · Words worth keeping
A sack was never so full but that it would hold another grain.
A sack was never so full but that it would hold another grain.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Something that appears completely full may still admit a small addition. Check the actual limit before treating a convenient description as an exact measure of capacity.
What the words are saying
The extra grain tests the word full in the source image. A container can seem unable to hold more while still leaving room for something very small. Applied elsewhere, the comparison questions an absolute claim that no adjustment is possible. Examine the real constraints rather than relying on appearance or a routine answer. The image does not prove unlimited capacity. Small additions can accumulate, and making room may require a change that affects other people. A genuine limit deserves respect once it has been established.
Everyday example
A librarian checks whether a slim booklet will fit on a nearly full shelf rather than assuming there is no remaining space.
When to use it
Use it to test an absolute claim about capacity through a particular small addition.
What it does not mean
Do not use the image to pressure an overloaded person into accepting ever more work.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 33; French section, paragraph 665; source wording: Le sac ne fut oncques si plein que n’y entrât bien un grain.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.