proverb · Words worth keeping
Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying warns against testing water’s depth with both feet. As an analogy, it cautions against committing fully before understanding a risk.
What the words are saying
Using both feet makes the test itself a commitment. A useful reading asks whether an uncertain situation can first be assessed with less exposure. The supplied digging image is a separate analogy, and this phrase gives no swimming, rescue or other physical safety instructions.
Everyday example
Someone asks for more information about an unfamiliar commitment before agreeing to its full scope.
When to use it
Use it to discuss assessment before commitment.
What it does not mean
No safe water-testing method or guarantee of risk-free assessment is established.
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
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 423; PDF page 63
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.