Idiom
Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Don't put all your eggs in one basket means don't risk everything on a single plan, investment or chance.
How people use it
It is advice to spread risk: apply to several colleges, invest in more than one fund, or have a backup plan. People also use the shorter put all your eggs in one basket, often in the past: I put all my eggs in one basket with that job offer. The tone is neutral and practical. It is common in money and career advice.
Also said: put all your eggs in one basket.
Examples
- Leo applied to six colleges because his counselor said don't put all your eggs in one basket.
- I put all my eggs in one basket with that one client, and it hurt when they left.
- Spread your savings around; you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket.
Where it comes from
The picture is simple: if you carry all your eggs in one basket and drop it, you lose them all. The saying is recorded in English in the 1600s, including in a collection of Italian proverbs, and an early English translation of Don Quixote used it. Mark Twain later joked that the wise man puts all his eggs in one basket and watches that basket.
Check yourself
1. What is the advice in "don't put all your eggs in one basket"?
Answer: Spread your risk. The saying warns against depending on just one plan or chance.
2. Which sentence uses the proverb correctly?
Answer: She sells her art online and at markets so she doesn't put all her eggs in one basket.. The proverb means spreading risk, so investing everything in one stock is the opposite.
Similar idioms
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