a chain is only as strong as its weakest link

English

Etymology

First appeared in Thomas Reid’s “Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man,” published in 1786; the full idiom “a chain is no stronger than its weakest link” was first printed in Cornhill Magazine in 1868.

Akin to the Basque proverb “Haria meheenean eten ohi da”, “A thread usually breaks where it is thinnest”.

Alternative forms

a chain is as strong as its weakest link
a chain is no stronger than its weakest link

Proverb

a chain is only as strong as its weakest link

An organization is only as strong or powerful as its weakest person. A group of associates is only as strong as its laziest member.

Related terms

weakest link

Translations

aphorism

Chinese:
Mandarin: 千里之堤，潰於蟻穴 (zh), 千里之堤，溃于蚁穴 (zh), 一步下錯，滿盤皆輸, 一步下错，满盘皆输
Danish: en kæde kun så stærk som det svageste led
Dutch: de keten is zo sterk als haar zwakste schakel
Finnish: ketju on vain niin vahva kuin sen heikoin lenkki
German: eine Kette ist nur so stark wie ihr schwächstes Glied
Greek: μια αλυσίδα είναι όσο δυνατή όσο ο πιο αδύναμός της κρίκος f (mia alysída eínai óso dynatí óso o pio adýnamós tis kríkos) (phrase)
Italian: una catena è resistente solo quanto il suo anello debole

Norwegian:
Bokmål: en kjede er aldri sterkere enn sitt svakeste ledd

Nynorsk: ei kjede er aldri sterkare enn det svakaste ledd
Portuguese: uma corrente é tão forte quanto seu elo mais fraco, uma corrente é tão forte quanto o seu elo mais fraco
Russian: где то́нко, там и рвётся (ru) (gde tónko, tam i rvjótsja) (it snaps there, where it's thin)
Spanish: una cadena es tan fuerte como su eslabón más débil
Swedish: en kedja är aldrig starkare än dess svagaste länk

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