Proverb on painful choice
B.Delyon
The German language does have a proverb "Wer die Wahl hat, hat
die Qual" or even simpler "Die Qual der Wahl". Does anyone know
about an English equivalent of that proverb, preferably containing the
word "choice" ?
Thank you,
B.D.
StrayShots
On Wed, 01 Apr, "B.Delyon" <del...@humanities.ucla.edu> asked:
I feebly translate the first proverb above as, "Who has choice, has anguish";
and the second as, "The anguish of choice". These bring to mind William
Styron's 1979 novel, "Sophie's Choice", wherein Sophie Zawistowska relates the
anguished choice she was given by the Nazis in occupied Poland during the War.
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Joseph C Fineman
"B.Delyon" <del...@humanities.ucla.edu> writes:
>The German language does have a proverb "Wer die Wahl hat, hat die
>Qual" or even simpler "Die Qual der Wahl". Does anyone know about an
>English equivalent of that proverb, preferably containing the word
>"choice" ?
I'm not sure how to interpret the proverb. A literal translation is
"He who has the choice, has the pain." Does that mean "It's a pain to
have to choose", or "If you have made a choice, you have to put up
with the painful results"? If the former, the closest I can think of
is "Decisions! Decisions!" If the latter, then "You've made your
bed; now you have to lie in it."
--- Joe Fineman j...@world.std.com
||: Feeling better? Watch out! :||
Thomas Schenk
B.Delyon wrote:
>
> The German language does have a proverb "Wer die Wahl hat, hat
> die Qual" or even simpler "Die Qual der Wahl". Does anyone know
> about an English equivalent of that proverb, preferably containing the
> word "choice" ?
"Die Qual der Wahl" was originally the German translation of the title
of popular eighteenth century French comedy by the Abbé D'Allainval,
"L'embarrass des richesses".
"The more alternatives, the more difficult the choice" conveys the
sense.
*Redewendungen und sprichwörtliche Redensarten:Idiomatisches
Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache* (Dudenverlag, Mannheim,1992)
explains the German sense of the proverb in question, probably derived
from "Die Qual der Wahl", namely, "Wer die Wahl hat, hat die Qual",
thus:
"Es ist oft nicht leicht, sich für eine von mehreren Möglichkeiten zu
entscheiden",
or (my translation): "It is often not easy to decide in favor of one
from many possibilities."
The usual situation in which the expression would commonly be used is
usually a frivolous one. For example, if I were to encounter fifteen
different varieties of equally appealing cheese at a buffet, I might
exclaim in torment of choice: "wer die Wahl hat, hat die Qual!",
meaning, "So many choices, so small a plate!"
Tom
--
*******************
Dr Thomas M Schenk
Laguna Beach, California
John Nurick
>The German language does have a proverb "Wer die Wahl hat, hat
>die Qual" or even simpler "Die Qual der Wahl". Does anyone know
>about an English equivalent of that proverb, preferably containing the
>word "choice" ?
Not me; but using another sense of "Wahl" one could translate it
as "No representation without taxation".
John
To e-mail me, drop clanger from address.
Donna Richoux
Thomas Schenk <tmsc...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> B.Delyon wrote:
> >
> > The German language does have a proverb "Wer die Wahl hat, hat
> > die Qual" or even simpler "Die Qual der Wahl". Does anyone know
> > about an English equivalent of that proverb, preferably containing the
> > word "choice" ?
>
> "Die Qual der Wahl" was originally the German translation of the title
> of popular eighteenth century French comedy by the Abbé D'Allainval,
> "L'embarrass des richesses".
> "The more alternatives, the more difficult the choice" conveys the
> sense.
The expression "an embarrassment of riches" is also known in English:
maybe not to everyone, but it is easily understood at first hearing.
There are other kinds of painful choices, such as being on the horns of
a dilemma, but from the discussion, it doesn't sound like that is the
situation in which this German proverb is used.
Best wishes --- Donna Richoux
John Davies
In article <3522D55C...@ix.netcom.com>, Thomas Schenk
<tmsc...@ix.netcom.com> writes
>B.Delyon wrote:
>>
>> The German language does have a proverb "Wer die Wahl hat, hat
>> die Qual" or even simpler "Die Qual der Wahl". Does anyone know
>> about an English equivalent of that proverb, preferably containing the
>> word "choice" ?
>
>"Die Qual der Wahl" was originally the German translation of the title
>of popular eighteenth century French comedy by the Abbé D'Allainval,
>"L'embarrass des richesses".
>"The more alternatives, the more difficult the choice" conveys the
>sense.
>
Not really a proverb, but "spoilt for choice" is a common idiom in
British English: eg "There are so many special offers available just
now, we're spoilt for choice."
More formally, one hears the literal translation of the French phrase,
"an embarrassment of riches".
--
John Davies (jo...@redwoods.demon.co.uk)
O.Det
John Nurick wrote:
>
> On Wed, 01 Apr 1998 12:14:05 -0800, "B.Delyon"
>
> >The German language does have a proverb "Wer die Wahl hat, hat
> >die Qual" or even simpler "Die Qual der Wahl". Does anyone know
> >about an English equivalent of that proverb, preferably containing the
> >word "choice" ?
>
> as "No representation without taxation".
>
> John
> To e-mail me, drop clanger from address.
Alta-vista gave me the literal translation of
"He who has the selection, has the agony",
Which I interpreted as "He who chooses, suffers".
The closest common American phrase of which this
reminds me is
"No responsibility without authority" (and its correlary,
"No authority without responsibility"),
although I may be reading the German too literally and
missing some subtle usage...
Aaron J. Dinkin
In article <QZ8WSDA$P6I1...@redwoods.demon.co.uk>, John Davies
<jo...@redwoods.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> Not really a proverb, but "spoilt for choice" is a common idiom in
> British English: eg "There are so many special offers available just
> now, we're spoilt for choice."
>
> More formally, one hears the literal translation of the French phrase,
> "an embarrassment of riches".
"Spoilt for choice" (or "spoiled") is unknown in the US, at least as far as
I know, but "embarrassment of riches" is fairly common.
-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom
Iskandar Baharuddin
Aaron J. Dinkin wrote:
My former Kiwi wife frequently referred to "a superfluosity of muchness".
Is this known outside the Shaky Isles?
--
Salaam & Shalom
Izzy
"I'll worry about that tomorrow!"
- Scarlett O'Hara
StrayShots
On Mon, 06 Apr, Iskandar Baharuddin <bren...@highway1.com.au> wrote:
>My former Kiwi wife frequently referred to "a superfluosity of
>muchness".
>
>Is this known outside the Shaky Isles?
My best friend's mother, an octogenarian native of Missouri, uses the phrase,
"a superfluity of abundance".
: SS