Eggs and promises are easily broken.
Eggs and promises are easily broken.
Meaning in plain English
Eggs and promises compared as easily broken give a commitment the image of fragility. The saying warns that an assurance is not yet secure fulfilment.
Example
Someone checks the practical arrangements behind an important assurance instead of assuming words alone make it secure.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The material comparison is rhetorical rather than a measure of how often promises fail. A useful application clarifies what was agreed and what would support keeping it. Some commitments are reliable, and the image does not justify breaking them or treating every speaker as untrustworthy.
When to use it
Use it to discuss the conditions supporting a commitment.
Keep in mind
No measured breakage rate or universal unreliability of promises is established.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 967; PDF page 135
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