ProverbChallenge
English origin
English originFear not the loss of the bell more than the loss of the steeple.
Meaning: Don't obsess over minor possessions when greater structures—relationships, principles, livelihoods—face genuine threat.
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.
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