ProverbWisdom

Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped

Meaning: Focus on the root cause of a problem rather than just its consequence.

Origin: Widely shared as an African proverb and sometimes credited to the Akan of Ghana, but the anthropologist Johnnetta Betsch Cole, who did fieldwork in Liberia, knows it as a Liberian saying. The point is to look for the cause of a mistake rather than dwell on the result.

Explore another collection: Idioms

Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.

Browse all idioms →

Keep exploring

Explore all proverbs →