jos on lusikalla annettu, ei voi kauhalla vaatia

Finnish

Alternative forms

• ei voi kauhalla vaatia, jos on lusikalla annettu; kun on lusikalla annettu, ei voi kauhalla vaatia; ei voi kauhalla vaatia, kun on lusikalla annettu

Proverb

jos on lusikalla annettu, ei voi kauhalla vaatia (literally, “when someone has been given (their intelligence) with a spoon, they can't be asked (to give it back) with a ladle”)

1. One cannot expect too much from a (hopelessly) unintelligent person; there is no cure for stupidity.
2. (more generally) If someone simply lacks some quality, one cannot expect too much from them in that regard.