- English translation
"Help yourself, it's free!" "Thanks, but my bag has no room left."
- Literal wording
"Take it for nothing." He said: "The sack won't hold it."
- Meaning and lesson
The saying pictures a person invited to help himself to goods at no cost, who answers that his sack, a large coarse bag for grain or goods, is already full. The point is that a gift can be generous beyond what anyone needs, and still fail to be taken simply because there is nowhere left to put it.
More broadly, it marks the gap between abundance and the ability to receive it. Free plenty is only useful up to the limits of one's container, room, or means, and once those limits are reached, further generosity, however welcome, cannot be accepted.
- When it is used
Fits moments when someone is offered more than they can possibly take, store, or use, so the offer must be declined or trimmed despite being welcome. It can describe generosity outrunning space, storage, time, or personal capacity. The refusal reflects real limits, not ingratitude, pride, or suspicion.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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