What is enough was never little.
What is enough was never little.
Meaning in plain English
Enough should be assessed against an actual need. A modest amount can be sufficient, even when comparison with larger amounts makes it look inadequate.
Example
A community workshop has ten tools for ten participants. It does not need the equipment collection of a large commercial studio to run its planned session.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The saying challenges the habit of measuring sufficiency by someone else’s possessions or scale. If a resource meets its purpose, calling it little may say more about comparison than need. The important question is what must be done and what would reasonably cover it. This reading supports contentment without dismissing genuine shortages. Enough food, time or support cannot be established by an encouraging phrase alone; the requirement has to be examined in its real circumstances.
When to use it
Use it to compare resources with a defined purpose.
Keep in mind
Sufficiency varies with circumstances. The saying must not be used to minimise unmet basic needs.
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 11; French section, paragraph 212; source wording: Ce qui suffit ne fut jamais peu.
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 ↗