proverb · Words worth keeping
Never make a mountain of a mole-hill.
Never make a mountain of a mole-hill.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Do not enlarge a small difficulty until it seems overwhelming. Keeping its scale in view can help you choose a response that fits the actual problem.
Example
After noticing one typo in an otherwise finished presentation, a student corrects it instead of deciding the whole project must be rewritten.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The mole-hill is small; the mountain is much larger and harder to cross. The saying criticises a reaction that adds imagined consequences or excessive importance to a manageable event. It can help someone separate what has happened from what they fear might follow. This is useful when worry is making the remedy seem impossible or a minor irritation is becoming a major dispute. The comparison should follow a fair look at the facts. A problem that appears small to an observer may still matter greatly to the person affected.
When to use it
Use it to encourage a proportionate response to an identifiable small setback.
Keep in mind
Do not use it to dismiss another person’s distress or minimise a problem whose consequences you have not understood.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English