Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
\"Quien no puede lo menos, no puede lo más. Quien puede lo más, puede lo menos.\"
English translation:
The lesser does not include the greater; the greater includes the lesser
Added to glossary by
Charles Davis
Jan 31, 2016 20:57
8 yrs ago
4 viewers *
Spanish term
Paraguay
Accurate/Relevant | Technical/Poetical
Native in: Spanish (Variant: Latin American) 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English
\"Quien no puede lo menos, no puede lo más. Quien puede lo más, puede lo menos.\"
Spanish to English
Law/Patents
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Law principles
Greetings!
I would like to know how to express this phrase in English. I assume it must exist, since it is kind of a basic principle in, among other fields, administrative law. It also rules the hierarchy relations in business administration, and other fields where roles are explicitly regulated and assigned.
It means that somebody with major competences can also handle minor ones, but somebody with minor competences can not handle major ones. (Maybe, in some given case, they could. But that would be an exception.) And somebody without minor competences couldn't handle major ones either.
For instance, a country's President can decide who will be the Minister of Health, or any other Ministry, and can also decide who will be the Director in charge of the Hospitals Department of said Ministry (decision that would usually rest in the Minister's hands). The President can do the higher task, "the more" ("lo más"): appoint Ministers; and can do the lower task, "the less" ("lo menos"): appoint Directors. The Minister can do the lower: appoint Department Directors, but can not do the higher: appoint Ministers.
On the other hand, a Director's subordinate can neither appoint a Director (can't do the lower), nor appoint Ministers (can't do the higher).
(Please forgive the abuse of Uppercases, I think in this case they help.)
Thanks in advance!
I would like to know how to express this phrase in English. I assume it must exist, since it is kind of a basic principle in, among other fields, administrative law. It also rules the hierarchy relations in business administration, and other fields where roles are explicitly regulated and assigned.
It means that somebody with major competences can also handle minor ones, but somebody with minor competences can not handle major ones. (Maybe, in some given case, they could. But that would be an exception.) And somebody without minor competences couldn't handle major ones either.
For instance, a country's President can decide who will be the Minister of Health, or any other Ministry, and can also decide who will be the Director in charge of the Hospitals Department of said Ministry (decision that would usually rest in the Minister's hands). The President can do the higher task, "the more" ("lo más"): appoint Ministers; and can do the lower task, "the less" ("lo menos"): appoint Directors. The Minister can do the lower: appoint Department Directors, but can not do the higher: appoint Ministers.
On the other hand, a Director's subordinate can neither appoint a Director (can't do the lower), nor appoint Ministers (can't do the higher).
(Please forgive the abuse of Uppercases, I think in this case they help.)
Thanks in advance!
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
Feb 2, 2016 12:34: Charles Davis Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+5
32 mins
Selected
The lesser does not include the greater; the greater includes the lesser
This may be as close as we can get. The second half, "Quien puede lo más, puede lo menos", is the so-called a maiore ad minus argument, which is expressed in the legal maxim "the greater includes the lesser". The converse, the first half, is an a minore ad maius, which can be expressed as "the lesser does not include the greater". Both are a fortiori arguments.
La interpretación que cabe hacer, por tanto, debe ser guiada por el argumento lógico-jurídico llamado “a fortiori” (con mayor razón), en una de sus dos versiones: a minore ad maius, y que popularmente se explica con la fórmula de “quien no puede lo menos no puede lo más”.
https://corraltalciani.wordpress.com/tag/quien-no-puede-lo-m...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_maiore_ad_minus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_minore_ad_maius
"Justice Byron White and the Argument that the Greater Includes the Lesser"
http://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/lawreview/vol1994/iss2/2/
"At the time of oral argument we understood that appellant took this position upon the ground that "the greater includes the lesser." The converse, however, is not true — the lesser does not include the greater."
http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/250/...
La interpretación que cabe hacer, por tanto, debe ser guiada por el argumento lógico-jurídico llamado “a fortiori” (con mayor razón), en una de sus dos versiones: a minore ad maius, y que popularmente se explica con la fórmula de “quien no puede lo menos no puede lo más”.
https://corraltalciani.wordpress.com/tag/quien-no-puede-lo-m...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_maiore_ad_minus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_minore_ad_maius
"Justice Byron White and the Argument that the Greater Includes the Lesser"
http://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/lawreview/vol1994/iss2/2/
"At the time of oral argument we understood that appellant took this position upon the ground that "the greater includes the lesser." The converse, however, is not true — the lesser does not include the greater."
http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/250/...
Note from asker:
| Muchas gracias, David. Hasta el momento es la frase que más completamente abarca lo que estaba queriendo expresar. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
ASdS
: interesting!
11 mins
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Thank you!
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| agree |
Robert Forstag
: Elegant and concise.
2 hrs
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Thank you, Robert
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| agree |
ormiston
: impressive. Often wondered how the French equivalent could be rendered
12 hrs
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Many thanks, Ormiston :)
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| agree |
Lucy Breen
: Perfect!
15 hrs
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Thanks very much, Lucy!
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| agree |
Michele Fauble
21 hrs
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Thanks, Michele :)
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
5 mins
Andrew Bramhall
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
Flair and accuracy tailored to your text
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
20
He who can do more can do less
..is the saying ( Quien puede lo más, puede lo menos), the first part is a play on the actual saying; (He who can't do the least can't do more)-"Quien no puede lo menos, no puede lo más"
Note from asker:
| Thanks a lot, Oliver. I like the phrase itself, it encompasses most of what the Spanish expression means. Nevertheless, the word "do" is a bit of a setback here, since it limits its scope to actions, whereas, as a principle, it should have an even broader meaning. I also think the article, as in "the least", is necessary, as it takes it to a broader level. |
8 mins
ASdS
Works in field
"He who can't do the least can't do the most. He who can do the most can do the least."
Good evening,
I found an analog of what you are looking for in an older KudoZ post, for FR>EN. As a matter of fact, there seems to be a good equivalent of this expression in French, but not really in English.
I hope this may help!
I found an analog of what you are looking for in an older KudoZ post, for FR>EN. As a matter of fact, there seems to be a good equivalent of this expression in French, but not really in English.
I hope this may help!
Reference:
Note from asker:
| Thanks a lot, ASdS. I like the phrase itself, it encompasses most of what the Spanish expression means. Nevertheless, the word "do" is a bit of a setback here, since it limits its scope to actions, whereas, as a principle, it should have an even broader meaning. |
3 hrs
Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
United States
Native in English
United States
Each translation a gem!
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: Spanish to English, Portuguese to English
Related KudoZ points
:
80
Those who can do more can do less, but not/it doesn't work the other way around
Another suggestion, more politically correct.
"He who can do more can do less" is a recognized saying in English. but we don't typically follow through with the second part.
"He who can do more can do less" is a recognized saying in English. but we don't typically follow through with the second part.
Reference comments
7 mins
Ellen Kraus
Austria
Austria
Austria
more than thirty years of experience
Native in: German
Works in: Greek to German, English to German, Greek to English, and 5 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Reference:
es un principio de derecho;
Enunciado: Quien puede lo más puede lo menos. Ideas clave: Voluntad. Significado: Declara que si uno es capaz de hacer lo más difícil sin duda podrá hacer tambien lo menow
Enunciado: Quien puede lo más puede lo menos. Ideas clave: Voluntad. Significado: Declara que si uno es capaz de hacer lo más difícil sin duda podrá hacer tambien lo menow
Discussion