The meaning of the idiom “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is to not risk everything on the success or failure of one thing. It is a way of saying that one should diversify their options and not depend on a single plan or idea. The idiom comes from the idea that if someone puts all their eggs in one basket and drops it, they will lose all their eggs. But if they put some eggs in different baskets, they will still have some left if one basket falls.
The idiom is often used as a warning or advice to someone who is about to do something risky or uncertain. For example, if someone is planning to invest all their money in one company, someone might say “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” to suggest that they should spread their investments among different companies. Or, if someone is applying to only one college, someone might say “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” to encourage them to apply to more colleges.
The origin of the idiom is not very clear, but it may have come from Spain or Italy in the 17th century. The first written example of the idiom is from the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, published in 1615. The quote is: “it is the part of a wise man to keep himself today for tomorrow, and not venture all his eggs in one basket.” Other examples of the idiom can be found in later writings from the 17th and 18th centuries. The idiom is still widely used today in English and other languages.
