proverb · Words worth keeping
Where every hand fleeceth, the sheep go naked.
Where every hand fleeceth, the sheep go naked.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
When many people take from the same limited resource, their combined demands can exhaust it. Consider the total burden, not only how small each individual request appears.
Example
Several teams each request a short weekly task from the same volunteer; they combine the rota and discover that the supposedly small requests exceed the available hours.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Each hand removes fleece, until the sheep is left with none. The image makes accumulation visible: a single act may seem limited, but many similar acts can strip the resource on which they all depend. Figuratively, several groups may each claim a little of a shared budget, space or person’s time without considering the combined effect. The saying asks for coordination and an account of the whole. It does not mean every request is selfish or that the resource should never be used. Agree what it can sustain, which needs matter and how to distribute the demands fairly.
When to use it
Use it when separate reasonable-looking requests are accumulating against one limited resource.
Keep in mind
Use of a shared resource is not inherently wrong; assess the combined demand and distribute it fairly.
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