ProverbWisdomEnglish origin1837

Better safe than sorry

Meaning: It's wiser to be cautious than to take unnecessary risks.

Origin: The phrase appears in Rory O'More (1837), a novel by the Irish writer Samuel Lover: "It's better to be safe than sorry." Preferring caution to regret is an ancient piece of advice, but Lover's alliterative version is the one that caught on.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 4 more languages

  • 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: 備えあれば憂いなし (Sonae areba urei nashi) (literally: If prepared, there is no worry)
  • German: Vorsicht ist besser als Nachsicht (literally: Caution is better than hindsight)
  • Italian: La prudenza non è mai troppa (literally: You can never have too much caution)
  • Portuguese: Mais vale prevenir do que remediar (literally: Better to prevent than to cure)
  • Dutch: Voorzichtigheid is de moeder van de porseleinkast (literally: Caution is the mother of the china cabinet)
  • Russian: Бережёного Бог бережёт (Berezhyonogo Bog berezhyot) (literally: God protects those who protect themselves)
  • Polish: Strzeżonego Pan Bóg strzeże (literally: God guards those who guard themselves)

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