Do not make two devils of one.
Do not make two devils of one.
Meaning in plain English
Do not enlarge one difficulty into several through exaggeration or a poorly chosen response. Examine the actual problem before adding imagined dangers or unnecessary complications.
Example
After one missed delivery, a team checks that order instead of cancelling every supplier agreement in alarm.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The devil represents a difficulty, and doubling it represents making that difficulty worse. A person might do this by treating one setback as proof that every part of a plan has failed, or by answering a manageable disagreement with new accusations. The image invites a more exact account: identify what happened, what consequences are established and which response would contain them. It is an argument for proportion rather than denial. Sometimes a problem really has several connected causes; separating those causes can be useful without magnifying them unnecessarily.
When to use it
Use it to encourage a proportionate response to a specific difficulty.
Keep in mind
Real risks can multiply and deserve attention. Do not dismiss a careful assessment merely because it identifies more than one problem.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 23; French section, paragraph 463; source wording: Il ne faut pas faire d’un diable deux.
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗