A stitch in time saves nine
Meaning: Fixing a problem early prevents bigger issues later.
Origin: First recorded in Thomas Fuller's Gnomologia (1732), a collection of proverbs and maxims, as "A stitch in time may save nine." A small tear mended at once takes a single stitch; left to widen, it takes many. The number nine seems chosen as much for its sound as for its arithmetic.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Mieux vaut prévenir que guérir (literally: Better to prevent than to cure)
- Spanish: Más vale prevenir que lamentar (literally: Better to prevent than to regret)
- Japanese: 転ばぬ先の杖 (Korobanu saki no tsue) (literally: A cane before falling)
- German: Vorbeugen ist besser als Heilen (literally: Preventing is better than healing)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Don't count your chickens before they hatch — Don't assume success before it happens.
- Knowledge is power — Education and learning give you strength and advantage.
- Time heals all wounds — Emotional pain fades with the passage of time.
- Where there is smoke, there is fire — Rumors or signs usually indicate some truth.
- Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day — Teaching someone is more valuable than doing things for them.
- All that glitters is not gold — Appearances can be misleading.
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