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  What it means

  Literally “the better is the enemy of the good.” Means striving for perfection can ruin something that is already good enough — “perfect is the enemy of good.”

  Vocabulary

  • lepsze — the better (neuter comparative)
  • wróg — enemy
  • dobre — the good (neuter)

  Grammar note

  'Lepsze' and 'dobrego' are nominalised adjectives — 'the better thing' and 'of the good thing'. 'Wrogiem' is instrumental predicate after 'jest'.

  Cultural context

  From Voltaire ('Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien') — entered Polish through French cultural influence and is now a standard piece of wisdom.

  Intermediate

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