proverb · Legacy record
You only have to do a few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong.
You only have to do a few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying balances a few right actions against too many wrong ones. It presents success as depending on both useful choices and restraint from costly errors.
What the words are saying
Few and too many supply a memorable comparison without a defined count. A useful application can focus on consequential decisions while recognising uncertainty about outcomes. The phrase does not establish an arithmetic rule for a good life or a universal definition of right and wrong.
Everyday example
Someone identifies key commitments and avoidable errors rather than trying to count every choice as a moral score.
When to use it
Use it to discuss consequential choices without treating life as a numerical formula.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
No measured threshold or guaranteed outcome 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 194; PDF page 32
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.