What does don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg mean?

It's a reference to an old folktale in which a couple owned a goose that laid an egg every day, and the egg was made of gold. The couple prospered. And the more they had, the more greedy they became.

One day, the man said, "Why wait for one little egg every day? There must be a great store of gold inside this goose. If I kill it, I can have it all now." And so he killed the goose, only to find that there was nothing unusual inside her.

And that, of course, was the end of the supply.

So in his greed he destroyed the source of his good fortune.

To kill the goose that lays the golden egg is to destroy something that provides a steady, long-term gain for the sake of a quick reward.

Answer

In general, it means if something is profitable, don't do anything to screw it up. If a goose is laying golden eggs, collect the eggs. Don't kill it in an attempt to increase short term profit. This strips away the opportunity for continued profit, though it may be smaller in the units in which is handed out. A dead goose lays no eggs, golden or otherwise. Check out the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition for parallels. Use the link.

First answer by Quirkyquantummechanic. Last edit by Quirkyquantummechanic. Contributor trust: 619 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 12 [recommend question]