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"You must not put all your eggs in one basket".

I'm sure that's an expression your grandma used to say!

Unless she prefers "you have to have several strings to your bow"?

Either way, it's a common phrase these days.

It means thatyou should not bet everything on the same horse at the risk of losing everything.

Or you should not concentrate all your earnings in a single business.

But do you know that it hasn't always had this meaning? Explanations:

Originally

In the 17th century, this adage did not exist. Rather, we were using an expression that meant quite the opposite.

Indeed, it was then common and well seen to put all your eggs in one basket. Weird? Not that much !

It was believed then that it was important to focus all your efforts on a single business in order to carry it out and be successful.

Keeping up with doing something else was the key to success at the time.

However, popular wisdom will quickly make its voice heard.

The change of meaning

In 1669, we can already read in "The eggs and the basket", Badet's letters, by Edme Boursault: "Why haven't I put my eggs on three or four mules. I deserve a misfortune that I had to foresee."

Already, the notion of prudence prevailed: putting all your eggs on the same mule is to take the risk of losing them all at once, if the basket falls or if the mule escapes.

But it was not until the 18th century that the expression "you should not put all your eggs in one basket" became popular.

Yes, it is a real change of society that takes place then.

We now think that it is not very wise to put all your eggs in one basket.

This attitude is now considered reckless.

Why ? Because it was risky to have only one working resource and only one source of income.

Today

This proverb still retains this meaning but is no longer limited only to the professional field.

Today, its meaning is wider than it was then.

It also concerns personal development and the notion of happiness.

According to this adage, the happiness of a person should not rest on a single element because the risk of losing everything is too great.

The share of wisdom

If you want to be careful in life, you have to diversify!

This means, not to depend on a single resource, not to bet everything on one person and not to invest all of your time and money in a single business.

In short, we have to find the right balance and spread the risks. This way, luck will smile on us more easily.

Do you also like grandmother's expressions?

So I recommend this book which explains 200 funny or eccentric grandmother expressions full of common sense.

Your turn...

And you, what do you think of this grandmother expression? Tell us in the comments if you are used to using it. We can't wait to hear from you!

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Also to discover:

30 Expressions From Another Time That Even Our Grandmothers No Longer Use.

"The Habit Does Not Make The Monk": The Expression of Grandmother of the Day.