proverb · Legacy record
You can eat an elephant if you do it one mouthful at a time.
You can eat an elephant if you do it one mouthful at a time.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying divides an elephant-sized undertaking into mouthfuls. As an analogy, a large task may be approached in manageable parts.
What the words are saying
The scale contrast offers a method image, not literal eating advice. A qualified application checks how the parts relate and what support completion needs. Dividing a task does not make every aim feasible or remove its costs and limits.
Everyday example
A learner breaks a substantial assignment into stages and checks what each stage requires.
When to use it
Use it to discuss manageable stages with feasibility assessed.
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What it does not mean
No literal food instruction or guarantee that every task can be completed is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or 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
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 766; PDF page 109
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.