An old sack wanteth much patching.
Meaning: Neglected problems compound over time, requiring increasingly costly repairs to restore what could have been easily maintained.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Wisdom
- The mouse that hath but one hole is easily taken. — A creature relying on single escape route faces inevitable capture when discovered.
- In an orderly house all is soon ready. — Organized systems and preventive habits eliminate the friction and delay that chaos creat…
- Some are wise, and some are otherwise. — Intelligence distributes unevenly among people; foolishness is as common as wisdom.
- Do what thou ought, let come what may. — Fulfill your moral duties regardless of feared consequences or uncertain outcomes.
- Be not too hasty to outbid another. — Competitive overbidding exhausts resources while enriching only the seller, benefiting ne…
- Study to be worthy of your parents. — Striving for excellence honors those who raised you and validates their investment in you…
From our tongue twisters
- O papa papava o papo do pipo; o pipo papava o papo do papa. — A perfectly palindromic 'p' construction that reverses meaning when you swap the nouns.
- На дворе трава, на траве дрова. (Na dvore trava, na trave drova.) — A short but nasty 'tr/dr' blend — the consonant clusters that trip up every learner of Ru…
- Шла Саша по шоссе и сосала сушку. (Shla Sasha po shosse i sosala sushku.) — A merciless 'sh/s/ss' collision — Sasha walking, sucking, and all those sibilants.