Do not shorten the donkey’s tail in a crowd; some will say it’s too long, others that is too short.

Understand the thought

Meaning in plain English

A donkey’s tail judged both too long and too short in a crowd portrays conflicting opinions about one change. The saying warns that pleasing every observer may be impossible.

What the words are saying

The precise traditional setting is unverified, and the image supplies no animal procedure. A useful application considers relevant feedback and fair criteria rather than counting every objection equally. Disagreement does not make all criticism useless or excuse ignoring the people affected by a decision.

Everyday example

A team weighs relevant feedback against its purpose instead of revising endlessly to satisfy contradictory preferences.

When to use it

Use it as a qualified conflicting-opinions image.

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Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.