Home › Proverbs

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: African proverb from the Akan people of Ghana, emphasizing prevention over reaction.

Translations

  • French: Ne regarde pas où tu es tombé, mais où tu as glissé (literally: Don't look where you fell, but where you slipped)
  • Spanish: No mires donde caíste, sino donde resbalaste (literally: Don't look where you fell, but where you slipped)
  • Japanese: 転んだ場所ではなく、滑った場所を見よ (Koronda basho de wa naku, subetta basho wo miyo) (literally: Look not at where you fell, but where you slipped)

← Back to Proverbs

Loading the full interactive collection…