Meaning & Analysis
A person chooses a very small measure ('an inch') of their personal desire or pleasure over a much larger measure ('an ell,' approximately 45 inches) of financial gain or practical benefit.
Insights
Short-Sightedness vs. Prudence
The proverb serves as a critique of prioritizing immediate, often minor, gratification over substantial long-term advantages. It warns against the human tendency to be swayed by fleeting desires at the expense of future prosperity and well-being.
Irrational Decision-Making
It illustrates how irrational emotions or stubbornness can lead to self-defeating decisions. The choice is not merely a preference but a demonstrably poor trade-off, highlighting a failure of logic in favor of impulse.
The Tyranny of Desire
The proverb warns that an undisciplined 'will' or pursuit of 'pleasure' can become a master that dictates one's actions, leading to significant personal and financial loss. It is a commentary on the destructive potential of unchecked personal whims.
Historical Economic Context
The proverb's use of 'inch' versus 'ell'—an archaic unit of about 45 inches used for measuring valuable textiles—creates a powerful economic and moral contrast. It highlights the folly of sacrificing a substantial, tangible gain for a trivial, fleeting whim, framing the choice as a violation of the prudent values of thrift and foresight prevalent in early modern European thought.
Psychological Impulsivity
This proverb is a classic illustration of the psychological principle of hyperbolic discounting, where individuals disproportionately value immediate gratification over larger, delayed rewards. It captures the universal human tendency to make irrational choices when short-term desires conflict with long-term strategic interests.
Critique of Stubbornness
As the annotation notes, the proverb critiques willful obstinacy. It suggests that prioritizing one's 'will' is a form of tyranny of the ego, where the need to assert personal desire overrides all rational considerations, leading to self-sabotage.
Rhetorical Devices
Antithesis
The proverb is built on the stark juxtaposition of 'inch' versus 'ell' and 'pleasure/will' versus 'profit,' creating a memorable and forceful statement about poor judgment.
Hyperbole
The vast difference in scale between an inch and an ell exaggerates the foolishness of the choice, making the proverb's warning against impulsivity more dramatic and impactful.
Symbolism
The units of 'inch' and 'ell' function as symbols for the magnitude of what is being chosen: a trivial, insignificant desire versus a large, substantial benefit.
Transcription
Quotations
Many a man setteth more by an ynche of his wyl than an ell of his thryfte and thou art one of them.
Ye lyked than better an ynche of your wyll, Than an ell of your thrifte.
He wil not giv ane Inch of his wil for a span of his thrift.
(Hee liketh better an inch of his will, then).
(of pleasure before an elne of profit).
[As in a.1598 Ferg.].
Annotations
- Spoken of wilful and obstinate People, who will not comply with your most advantageous Proposals, if contrary to their perverse Humours.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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