A small but certain gain now is better than a larger but uncertain gain in the future. It is wise to value what is real and available over what is merely promised.
This proverb reflects a deep strand of Italian peasant pragmatism rooted in centuries of economic insecurity. For a sharecropper or smallholder whose survival depended on what was in the larder today, a promise of future abundance was a luxury he could not always afford. The egg, being immediately real and nutritious, outweighs the hen, which is larger and more valuable but exists only in a hypothetical tomorrow that may never arrive. The proverb is found in collections from the fourteenth century onward and belongs to a European family of similar sayings about the bird in hand. What makes the Italian version distinctive is the precise domestic imagery: both the egg and the hen were central to peasant household economy, making the trade-off vivid and emotionally resonant. The saying is the Italian equivalent of 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,' though the Italian version emphasizes certainty over quantity. It is often used in financial decisions, negotiations, and everyday choices about risk.
Rooted in the economic precarity of Italian peasant life; parallel to the 'bird in the hand' proverb family across European languages.
A job offer
Ho accettato questo lavoro subito invece di aspettare l'altro. Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani.
I accepted this job right away instead of waiting for the other. Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.
Selling a house
L'offerta non è altissima, ma è concreta. Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani.
The offer isn't the highest, but it's real. Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.
A salary negotiation
Mi hanno offerto un piccolo aumento adesso. Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani — ho accettato.
They offered me a small raise now. Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow — I accepted.
Investing advice
Potresti guadagnare molto di più tra dieci anni, ma meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani.
You could earn much more in ten years, but better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.