'Tis folly to dig for lead with a silver shovel.

The saying criticizes using valuable resources to pursue a result worth far less. The silver shovel represents costly effort or investment, while the lead represents a return too modest to justify that expense.

It warns that an undertaking can be unwise when its costs exceed its gains. The point is not that the goal has no worth, but that the means should be proportionate to its expected value.

Use it to caution against an unnecessarily expensive method, tool, or investment for a low-value outcome. It suits discussions of wasteful spending, overengineered work, or efforts whose likely reward is too small to repay their cost.