Enough is as good as a feast.

John Heywood (c. 1497–c. 1580) was a prominent English playwright and court entertainer in the Tudor period, remembered especially for his collections of proverbs. “Enough is as good as a feast” belongs to the moralizing, commonsense wisdom circulating in early modern England, where proverbial sayings were gathered and printed for instruction and entertainment. Heywood’s proverb collections helped fix many such expressions in recognizable form for later English usage, reflecting a culture that valued moderation, contentment, and practical sufficiency amid social inequality and periodic scarcity.

The proverb argues that sufficiency can equal abundance in value: having “enough” to meet one’s needs should be regarded as satisfying as a lavish feast. It promotes moderation and gratitude, suggesting that contentment is not proportional to excess but to a sense of adequacy. In ethical terms, it cautions against greed and the restless pursuit of more, implying that well-being comes from recognizing limits and appreciating what one has. The saying’s durability lies in its flexible application—from personal finance to appetite to ambition—where it reframes restraint as a positive good rather than a deprivation.

1) “Enough is as good as a feast.”
2) “Enough is as good as a feast to a wise man.”