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A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

Meaning: It's better to have something certain now than to risk it for something uncertain in the future.

Origin: Medieval Latin proverb, recorded in English by the 15th century.

Translations

  • French: Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras (literally: One 'here you go' is worth more than two 'you'll get it')
  • Spanish: Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando (literally: A bird in hand is worth more than a hundred flying)
  • Japanese: 明日の百より今日の五十 (Asu no hyaku yori kyō no gojū) (literally: Fifty today is better than a hundred tomorrow)

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