Putting all your eggs in one basket
A Risky Lesson Plan
I feel like I am putting all my eggs in one basket right now. Next week, I am trying a new lesson for the AI classroom. I prepared as much as I could over the past month, but I technically couldn’t complete the lesson until this week. The classroom was being used for another lesson (that I also made) at that time. The nice thing about the previous lesson is that you could change a lot of things and it would still work. There are always issues when starting a new lesson, but I am committed to this new lesson now. I am worried that the robot we are using is too precise and students need to be meticulous. Generally, students don’t want to spend a lot of time on making something perfect. They come to our institute for fun. Also, there is NO backup plan. If the lesson doesn’t work or the students don’t like it, I am screwed. Wish me luck.
Meaning
Putting all your eggs in one basket means that you are taking a risk by committing all your resources (or effort) to one strategy. It is a metaphor. Think about carrying eggs. If you put all of them in one basket, you may fall, and all the eggs will break. However, if you put a few eggs in many baskets, you might fall but you won’t break all the eggs. Putting all your eggs in one basket is risky. The phrase is mostly used in a negative sense. As in, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
Example: When you are investing in the stock market, it is a good idea to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. You should diversify.
Origin
This idiom is probably derived from an old Spanish or Latin proverb. There is an older Latin proverb that says, “Venture not all in one ship.” That means you should not put all your sailors in one ship. More ships are better. The phrase first appears in the English translation of Don Quixote around 1612/1620, “…’tis the part of a wise man to keep himself today for tomorrow, and not venture all his eggs in one basket.”
Would you Bet?
Would you risk everything on a bet? In 2004, Ashley Revell did. He sold everything he owned and went to Vegas. He sold his BMW car, a Rolex watch, his golf clubs, and even sentimental items. In total he ended up with £76,840 which is worth about $164,286 USD today. A British TV channel heard about his plan and followed him to Vegas. Revell walked up to the roulette wheel and placed all his life savings on red. There was a 47.3% chance for Revell to double his money. Did he win?
See Also: A bird in the hand, hail Mary, drop the ball, joker in the deck
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Resources:
https://www.idioms.online/put-all-your-eggs-in-one-basket/
https://grammarist.com/proverb/dont-put-all-your-eggs-in-one-basket/
https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2015/08/betting-spin-story-ashley-revell/
https://youtu.be/zGCdBsOIKYA
https://www.roulettestar.com/people/ashley-revell/