the jug goes to the well until it breaks

English

Proverb

the jug goes to the well until it breaks

1. Even though something can be used, it may contain flaws that will lead it to ultimately fail.
   • 2009, Franz Knoll, Thomas Vogel, Design for Robustness, →ISBN, page 78:

     “The jug goes to the well until it breaks” – this may not be so terrible involving a jug – translated to the failure of a scaffolding assembly, it may, however, involve loss of life.

   • 2013, Hubert Kennedy -, The Ideal Gay Man: The Story of Der Kreis, →ISBN, page 197:

     It was not the mother herself, but good neighbor women who uncovered the danger. And as always in such cases: the jug goes to the well until it breaks! The court sentenced the man to two years in a penitentiary, five years loss of civic right, and expulsion from this country for ten years, although he had not previously been sentenced.

   • 2015, Hermann Kauders, And God Created Bedbugs Too, →ISBN:

     “The jug goes to the well until it breaks,” said Xandi. Brigitte frequently quoted the saying when confronted by her boys' obstinacy.

Synonyms

• the pitcher goes so often to the well, that it is broken at last

Related terms

• go to the well

Translations

a jug goes to the well

• Czech: tak dlouho se chodí se džbánem pro vodu, až se ucho utrhne (cs)
• French: tant va la cruche à l’eau qu’à la fin elle se casse (fr)
• German: der Krug geht so lange zum Brunnen, bis er bricht (de)
• Polish: póty dzban wodę nosi, póki się ucho nie urwie
• Russian: пова́дился кувши́н по́ воду ходи́ть, тут ему́ и го́лову сломи́ть (povádilsja kuvšín pó vodu xodítʹ, tut jemú i gólovu slomítʹ), ско́лько верёвочке ни ви́ться, а концу́ быть (skólʹko verjóvočke ni vítʹsja, a koncú bytʹ)