Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
A caution against risking everything on a single venture, urging diversification to avoid total loss if it fails.
Origin
From 17th-century England, tied to egg; gathering-carrying all in one basket courted disaster, as in Cervantes' 1605 'Don Quixote,' translated to English by 1660 as 'not all eggs in one basket. ' A 1710 proverb collection cemented it. By the 19th century, it hit finance, as in Mark Twain's 1894 'Pudd'nhead Wilson,' warning of speculative ruin, blending rural roots with economic sense.
Variants
- Eggs in one basket
- All eggs one basket
Usage Examples
- Don't put all your eggs in one basket; invest in more than one stock.
- She put all her eggs in one basket with that job, and it fell through.
- He learned not to put all his eggs in one basket after the crash.
Browse More