Our principles are the springs of our actions. Our actions, the springs of our happiness or misery. Too much care, therefore, cannot be taken in forming our principles.

The saying argues for a moral chain of causation: deeply held principles (beliefs, values, habits of judgment) generate actions, and actions in turn shape one’s lived experience of happiness or misery. Its emphasis is preventative—rather than merely correcting behavior after the fact, it urges careful formation of the underlying standards that guide choices. The metaphor of “springs” suggests both origin and continual supply: principles feed action repeatedly, not just once. The final sentence frames ethical education and self-scrutiny as lifelong work, because small errors in principle can propagate into repeated harmful actions and enduring consequences.