proverb · Words worth keeping
A full cup is hard to carry.
A full cup is hard to carry.
In print by 1893 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Having a great deal can create a greater burden of care. The full cup suggests that abundance or responsibility is harder to carry safely when there is little room for error.
What the words are saying
An empty cup is easily moved, while a full one may spill if the carrier is careless. The proverb uses that difference to question the assumption that receiving more always makes life simpler. Resources, influence or success may bring commitments that require attention. A useful reading asks whether someone has the capacity and support to manage what they hold. The image does not make scarcity desirable or blame a person for finding responsibility difficult. It can instead encourage realistic limits, shared work and some margin for mistakes. More can be valuable while still needing a different way of being carried.
Everyday example
A team gaining several new projects agrees to share coordination rather than leaving every deadline with one person.
When to use it
Use it to examine the responsibilities that accompany abundance.
What it does not mean
The image does not imply that hardship or scarcity is preferable.
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 proverb
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1893 AD · industrial
In print by 1893: recorded in Dictionary of Quotations (1893). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- Dictionary of Quotations (1893) (1893 AD)
Printed citation: Pr. · page_006
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.