Meaning & Analysis
Problems or troubles arrive in large, heavy quantities (pounds) but are resolved or diminished only in small, incremental amounts (ounces) over time.
Insights
Ease of Destruction, Difficulty of Recovery
This proverb illustrates the fundamental imbalance between destruction and creation. It is far quicker and easier to cause damage, break trust, or ruin a reputation than it is to repair, rebuild, or restore what was lost.
Asymmetry of Consequences
It serves as a warning about the disproportionate nature of consequences. A single, swift mistake can unleash a torrent of problems, while the effort to mitigate the fallout is a long, arduous, and incremental process.
Sudden Setbacks, Gradual Progress
The proverb highlights the nature of progress versus decline. Setbacks and misfortunes often occur suddenly and catastrophically, whereas recovery and improvement are typically achieved through slow, patient, and persistent effort.
Economic Metaphor
The use of commercial weights—pounds and ounces—grounds the abstract concept of 'mischief' in the tangible world of trade. This economic metaphor makes the disparity between rapid decline and slow recovery immediately understandable, reflecting a universal experience of sudden loss and gradual rebuilding.
Psychological Asymmetry
The proverb captures the psychological principle of negativity bias, where the impact of negative events is felt more intensely and immediately than the gradual process of recovery. The 'pounds' represent the sudden, overwhelming onset of a problem, while the 'ounces' reflect the slow, painstaking nature of healing or restoration.
Cultural Universality
The cross-referenced proverb 'Ill comes in by ells and goes out by inches' reveals the concept's adaptability. Whether using units of weight or length, the underlying truth remains: the swiftness of affliction versus the slowness of remedy is a fundamental and widely recognized aspect of the human condition.
Rhetorical Devices
Antithesis
The proverb's structure is built on the stark contrast between 'pounds' and 'ounces', effectively highlighting the immense disparity between the arrival and departure of trouble.
Metaphor
'Mischief' is treated as a physical substance that can be measured by weight, making the abstract concept of trouble feel concrete and quantifiable.
Parallelism
The balanced grammatical structure ('comes by pounds... goes away by ounces') creates a rhythmic and parallel construction that makes the saying easy to remember and recite.
Transcription
Quotations
(and goeth by ounces away).
(The yll commeth by poundes, and).
[As in 1573 Sanf.].
Mischiefes come by th' pound, but goe away by ounces.
Mischances come by pounds, and go away by ounces.
Miseries come by Pounds, but go away by Ounces.
(Evil commeth by cart-loads, and).
Mischiefs come by the pound, and go away by the ounce.
[As in 1670 Ray].
Mischief comes by the Pound, and goes away by the Ounce.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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