---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't uncork what you can't contain"
description: "\"Don't uncork what you can't contain\" — Suzanne Vega"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41f/suzanne-vega-12807_funny_don-t-uncork-what-you-can-t-contain-1321_1321279.jpg"
---

#  Don't uncork what you can't contain

![“Don't uncork what you can't contain” quote by Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41f/suzanne-vega-12807_funny_don-t-uncork-what-you-can-t-contain-1321_1321279.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41f/suzanne-vega-12807_funny_don-t-uncork-what-you-can-t-contain-1321_1321279.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41f/suzanne-vega-12807_funny_don-t-uncork-what-you-can-t-contain-1321_1321279.jpg)

> “Don't uncork what you can't contain”

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She warns against starting something you cannot manage.

**In simple terms:** Don’t start what you can’t finish.

Key Takeaway

Know your limits before beginning.

Themes

self‑control responsibility limits

Mood

cautious thoughtful

Type

advice reflective

When to use this quote

- business ventures
- creative projects
- relationships
- financial commitments

Key Concepts

Risk assessment Self‑awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- When is it worth taking a risk despite uncertainty?
- How do you assess your capacity?

A Different Perspective

Sometimes risks are necessary for growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm gonna uncork the ass-beating of a lifetime on you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-samberg/i-m-gonna-uncork-the-ass-beating-of-a-lifetime-on-you/)

[Andy Samberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-samberg/)

> [The human diet, for millions of years, did not contain any added salt - only the sodium present in natural foods, adding up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-fuhrman/the-human-diet-for-millions-of-years-did-not-contain-any-added-salt/)

[Joel Fuhrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-fuhrman/)

> [I tried to contain myself... but I escaped!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/i-tried-to-contain-myself-but-i-escaped/)

[Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/)

> [Emotions aren't just mindless urges; they contain thoughts about matters of importance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-nussbaum/emotions-aren-t-just-mindless-urges-they-contain-thoughts-about/)

[Martha Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-nussbaum/)

> [If we can contain and monitor animal viruses at an earlier stage - when they're first entering human populations, preferably before they've had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-wolfe/if-we-can-contain-and-monitor-animal-viruses-at-an-earlier-stage-when/)

[Nathan Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-wolfe/)

> [You see teams buy a lot of batsmen for a lot of money because they are good batsmen. But you also need good bowlers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhuvneshwar-kumar/you-see-teams-buy-a-lot-of-batsmen-for-a-lot-of-money-because-they/)

[Bhuvneshwar Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhuvneshwar-kumar/)

> [I am large, I contain multitudes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-am-large-i-contain-multitudes/)

[Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/)

> [A family is too frail a vessel to contain the risks of all the warring impulses expressed when such a group meets on common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/a-family-is-too-frail-a-vessel-to-contain-the-risks-of-all-the/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [I suppose I've always done my share of crying, especially when there's no other way to contain my feelings. I know that men ain't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-charles/i-suppose-i-ve-always-done-my-share-of-crying-especially-when-there-s/)

[Ray Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-charles/)

> [There is no pop category, let alone any infinitely gene-sliced genre name, to contain the lead in Rihanna's voice in 'Needed Me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/there-is-no-pop-category-let-alone-any-infinitely-gene-sliced-genre/)

[Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/)

> [There's nothing more powerful than a woman who knows how to contain her power and not let it leak, standing firmly within it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/there-s-nothing-more-powerful-than-a-woman-who-knows-how-to-contain/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr/vigorous-writing-is-concise-a-sentence-should-contain-no-unnecessary/)

[William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/)

> [Most Americans know nothing about the African forest, and it seems to them a very scary, spooky dangerous place. I've spent a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/most-americans-know-nothing-about-the-african-forest-and-it-seems-to/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [But it is impossible to divide a cube into two cubes, or a fourth power into fourth powers, or generally any power beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-de-fermat/but-it-is-impossible-to-divide-a-cube-into-two-cubes-or-a-fourth/)

[Pierre de Fermat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-de-fermat/)

> [Electricity transmission operates on a frequency between 49.7 Hertz and 50.2 Hertz. What I have done is petitioned the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jyotiraditya-madhavrao-scindia/electricity-transmission-operates-on-a-frequency-between-49-7-hertz/)

[Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jyotiraditya-madhavrao-scindia/)

## More by Suzanne Vega

> [When I was pregnant, I felt filled with life, and I felt really happy. I ate well, and I slept well. I felt much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/when-i-was-pregnant-i-felt-filled-with-life-and-i-felt-really-happy-i/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [Some girls are taught to be sexy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/some-girls-are-taught-to-be-sexy/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [I was the oldest child, and both my parents worked, so I had a great deal of responsibility from a very young age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/i-was-the-oldest-child-and-both-my-parents-worked-so-i-had-a-great/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [Girls are crazy and mean. They don't fight fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/girls-are-crazy-and-mean-they-don-t-fight-fair/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [But I never want to get to the point where I write a safe song or one that represents my sense of a subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/but-i-never-want-to-get-to-the-point-where-i-write-a-safe-song-or-one/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [Writing in other voices is almost Japanese in the sense that there's a certain formality there which allows me to sidestep the embarrassment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/writing-in-other-voices-is-almost-japanese-in-the-sense-that-there-s/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [I think that if you have a strong narrative, if the idea of the song can be boiled down to the basics, it won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/i-think-that-if-you-have-a-strong-narrative-if-the-idea-of-the-song/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [The first song I wrote was the first song I remember thinking, "Well, maybe I can do something here." The very first one. By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/the-first-song-i-wrote-was-the-first-song-i-remember-thinking-well/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [To me, a feminist belong in the same category as a humanist or an advocate for human rights. I don't see why someone who's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/to-me-a-feminist-belong-in-the-same-category-as-a-humanist-or-an/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [Of course, sometimes when you write personally, you are also writing about society, obliquely reflecting topical issues, but not in a way that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/of-course-sometimes-when-you-write-personally-you-are-also-writing/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [Kindness to me is only powerful if it has the cruel streak behind it. If someone is kind all the time under all circumstances,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/kindness-to-me-is-only-powerful-if-it-has-the-cruel-streak-behind-it/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [I still consider myself a feminist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/i-still-consider-myself-a-feminist/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [And I really wanted a driver's license. I was 43, had my learner's permit and had failed the test once already - but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/and-i-really-wanted-a-driver-s-license-i-was-43-had-my-learner-s/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [Last year's troubles, They shine up so prettily, They gleam with a lustre they don't have today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/last-year-s-troubles-they-shine-up-so-prettily-they-gleam-with-a/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

> [My mother wanted me to understand that as a woman I could do pretty much whatever I wanted to, that I didn't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/my-mother-wanted-me-to-understand-that-as-a-woman-i-could-do-pretty/)

[Suzanne Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

[Explore all 53 Suzanne Vega quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/)

## More Contain quotes

> [Electricity transmission operates on a frequency between 49.7 Hertz and 50.2 Hertz. What I have done is petitioned the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jyotiraditya-madhavrao-scindia/electricity-transmission-operates-on-a-frequency-between-49-7-hertz/)

[Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jyotiraditya-madhavrao-scindia/)

> [But it is impossible to divide a cube into two cubes, or a fourth power into fourth powers, or generally any power beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-de-fermat/but-it-is-impossible-to-divide-a-cube-into-two-cubes-or-a-fourth/)

[Pierre de Fermat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-de-fermat/)

> [Most Americans know nothing about the African forest, and it seems to them a very scary, spooky dangerous place. I've spent a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/most-americans-know-nothing-about-the-african-forest-and-it-seems-to/)

[David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/)

> [Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr/vigorous-writing-is-concise-a-sentence-should-contain-no-unnecessary/)

[William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/)

> [There's nothing more powerful than a woman who knows how to contain her power and not let it leak, standing firmly within it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/there-s-nothing-more-powerful-than-a-woman-who-knows-how-to-contain/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [There is no pop category, let alone any infinitely gene-sliced genre name, to contain the lead in Rihanna's voice in 'Needed Me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/there-is-no-pop-category-let-alone-any-infinitely-gene-sliced-genre/)

[Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/)

> [I suppose I've always done my share of crying, especially when there's no other way to contain my feelings. I know that men ain't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-charles/i-suppose-i-ve-always-done-my-share-of-crying-especially-when-there-s/)

[Ray Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-charles/)

> [A family is too frail a vessel to contain the risks of all the warring impulses expressed when such a group meets on common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/a-family-is-too-frail-a-vessel-to-contain-the-risks-of-all-the/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [I am large, I contain multitudes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-am-large-i-contain-multitudes/)

[Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/)

> [You see teams buy a lot of batsmen for a lot of money because they are good batsmen. But you also need good bowlers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhuvneshwar-kumar/you-see-teams-buy-a-lot-of-batsmen-for-a-lot-of-money-because-they/)

[Bhuvneshwar Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhuvneshwar-kumar/)

> [If we can contain and monitor animal viruses at an earlier stage - when they're first entering human populations, preferably before they've had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-wolfe/if-we-can-contain-and-monitor-animal-viruses-at-an-earlier-stage-when/)

[Nathan Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-wolfe/)

> [Emotions aren't just mindless urges; they contain thoughts about matters of importance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-nussbaum/emotions-aren-t-just-mindless-urges-they-contain-thoughts-about/)

[Martha Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-nussbaum/)

> [I tried to contain myself... but I escaped!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/i-tried-to-contain-myself-but-i-escaped/)

[Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/)

> [The human diet, for millions of years, did not contain any added salt - only the sodium present in natural foods, adding up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-fuhrman/the-human-diet-for-millions-of-years-did-not-contain-any-added-salt/)

[Joel Fuhrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-fuhrman/)

> [Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, and is present in most e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes also contain cancer-causing nitrosamines and diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cuomo/nicotine-is-a-highly-addictive-substance-and-is-present-in-most-e/)

[Margaret Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cuomo/)

Browse all 109 Contain quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Don't uncork what you can't contain",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Suzanne Vega"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/don-t-uncork-what-you-can-t-contain/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Contain"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/don-t-uncork-what-you-can-t-contain/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41f/suzanne-vega-12807_funny_don-t-uncork-what-you-can-t-contain-1321_1321279.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41f/suzanne-vega-12807_funny_don-t-uncork-what-you-can-t-contain-1321_1321279.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41f/suzanne-vega-12807_funny_don-t-uncork-what-you-can-t-contain-1321_1321279.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Don't uncork what you can't contain” — Suzanne Vega",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Suzanne Vega",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-vega/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Don't uncork what you can't contain",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/don-t-uncork-what-you-can-t-contain/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-vega/don-t-uncork-what-you-can-t-contain/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```