He who wants too much gets nothing — greed and excess desire cancel each other out, leaving the person with less than a modest wish would have achieved. A proverb of moderation rooted in the Sicilian experience of scarcity, where those who overreached often lost even what little they had.
Sicilian proverbs about wanting and getting reflect centuries of experience with a feudal economy where resources were brutally limited and the distance between ambition and reality was vast. The peasant who negotiated for too high a share of the harvest might find himself with no contract at all. The fisherman who cast his nets in forbidden waters chasing a bigger catch risked losing boat and tackle to the baronial guards. The merchant who held out for a better price past the moment of opportunity watched his goods spoil. The proverb is not a counsel of passivity — it is a counsel of calibration. Know what is achievable. Take what is offered when what is offered is reasonable. The man who insists on perfection in an imperfect world ends up with nothing at all. It echoes the classical Sicilian aesthetic of finding beauty in the adequate rather than chasing the impossible.
A Sicilian proverb of moderation and strategic restraint. 'Cu' = chi (he who), 'troppu voli' = vuole troppo (wants too much), 'nenti' = niente (nothing), 'otteni' = ottiene (gets). Reflects the peasant wisdom of calibrating desire to realistic possibility under feudal scarcity.
After someone's excessive demands collapsed a negotiation
Voleva troppo e ha perso l'affare. Cu troppu voli nenti otteni — un po' di umiltà e sarebbe uscito con qualcosa.
He wanted too much and lost the deal. He who wants too much gets nothing — a little humility and he would have left with something.
Advising a child not to be greedy at the dinner table
Non prendere tutto il dolce. Cu troppu voli nenti otteni — lascia qualcosa agli altri e tutti sono felici.
Do not take all the dessert. He who wants too much gets nothing — leave something for the others and everyone is happy.
Reflecting on a failed political campaign
Ha cercato di accontentare tutti e non ha accontentato nessuno. Cu troppu voli nenti otteni — vale anche in politica.
He tried to please everyone and pleased no one. He who wants too much gets nothing — it applies in politics too.
A fisherman explaining why he does not try for the biggest catches
Mi bastano i pesci di stagione. Cu troppu voli nenti otteni — meglio una barca piena di triglie che niente per inseguire il tonno.
The seasonal fish are enough for me. He who wants too much gets nothing — better a boat full of mullet than nothing for chasing tuna.