proverb · Words worth keeping
Of two evils choose the lesser.
Of two evils choose the lesser.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
When all available options have drawbacks, compare them and choose the one with less harm. The saying addresses a constrained choice, without proving that only two options exist or that an avoidable wrong becomes justified.
Example
A group cannot use its booked room and compares a smaller accessible venue with postponement, checking participants’ needs before choosing and explaining the remaining limitations.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The proverb begins with two evils rather than an attractive choice and an unattractive one. Its practical concern is what to do when some cost remains whichever way a person turns. A useful reading names the likely harms, checks who would bear them and asks whether a third arrangement could reduce them. Lesser depends on the situation and cannot be decided by a slogan. Choosing under constraint does not make the remaining harm unimportant; mitigation and accountability may still be needed. The saying encourages comparison without excusing a false choice that excludes a better possibility.
When to use it
Use it when a genuinely constrained decision involves unavoidable drawbacks.
Keep in mind
Check alternatives and affected people; calling a choice lesser does not erase its consequences.
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