Don't kill the goose that lays the golden eggs
Meaning
It means to avoid destroying a valuable source of wealth or advantage by being excessively greedy or shortsighted.
Origin
This timeless warning against short-sighted greed stems directly from one of Aesop's enduring fables, often titled "The Goose with the Golden Eggs." The ancient tale tells of a fortunate farmer who owned a wondrous goose that, without fail, laid a single egg of pure gold every day. Driven by impatience and insatiable avarice, the farmer decided that waiting for one egg a day was too slow. Believing he could extract all the gold at once, he rashly slaughtered the goose, only to find its insides were like any other bird's. In his folly, he destroyed his steady, miraculous source of wealth, leaving him with no more golden eggs and no means to acquire them.
Examples
- The city council needs to remember not to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs by over-taxing the very businesses that bring so much revenue.
- If you keep demanding more and more from your employees without fair compensation, you're killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, as they'll eventually leave.