An over-indulgence of anything, even something as pure as water, can intoxicate.

The line uses water—commonly treated as the emblem of purity and necessity—to argue for moderation as a general ethical principle. By noting that even water can “intoxicate” when over-consumed (a nod to the real danger of water intoxication), the quote collapses the easy moral division between “good” and “bad” things. Its point is that excess can corrupt any pleasure, habit, or virtue: what sustains us in proper measure can become harmful when pursued compulsively. The aphorism thus critiques overindulgence and absolutism, suggesting that balance, self-knowledge, and limits are central to well-being.