Too much prosperity makes most men fools.
Too much prosperity makes most men fools.
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes excessive prosperity a cause of foolishness in most men. It warns that abundance can accompany a loss of judgment.
Example
A successful team keeps checking its decisions instead of assuming past results make every new plan sound.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Too much gives prosperity a threshold without defining it, while most turns the warning into a broad claim. A qualified application can examine complacency in a particular situation. It should not assume wealthy people lack judgment or that deprivation produces wisdom.
When to use it
Use it to discuss complacency with evidence from the situation.
Keep in mind
Prosperity does not establish foolishness or a universal causal relationship.
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 160; PDF page 27
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