too many cooks spoil the broth
Meaning
If too many people try to manage the same task, they interfere with each other and the result turns out worse.
Origin
Proverb from the kitchen metaphor: adding many hands and opinions to one dish can ruin it. Recorded in English from the 16th century, with earlier variants like “two cooks spoil the broth.”
Notes
A caution about over-management: collaboration is fine, but too many decision-makers/meddlers degrade quality. Common in work, meetings, editing, planning.
Examples
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We asked five managers to approve the same proposal, but too many cooks spoil the broth, and the project stalled.
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Let one designer lead the branding work—too many cooks spoil the broth when everyone changes the logo.
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I appreciate the help, but too many cooks spoil the broth, so I’ll handle the presentation myself.
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The committee kept adding edits to the report, and too many cooks spoil the broth; the final version was a mess.
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When planning the trip, we realized too many cooks spoil the broth, so we chose one person to book everything.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Fixed proverb. Often used as a full sentence; can be embedded as a clause (e.g., “Remember, too many cooks spoil the broth.”). “Broth” is standard; “soup” appears but is less common.
Synonyms
- too many chiefs and not enough Indians
- too many captains sink the ship
- too many hands in the pie
Antonyms
- many hands make light work