For want of a nail the shoe is lost; for want of a shoe the horse is lost; for want of a horse the rider is lost.

Meaning: Small negligences compound catastrophically; ignoring minor problems cascades into complete failure.

Origin: From 'A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases' (1870). Public domain.

Translations

Spanish: Por un punto se pierde un zapato (literally: For want of a nail the shoe is lost)

He that is warm thinks all are so. — The comfortable forget others suffer deprivation and misjudge universal experience by the…
He that hath a head of wax must not walk in the sun. — Those with fragile vulnerabilities should avoid situations that expose or exploit their w…
Let the weakest go to the wall. — The vulnerable are sacrificed first when resources or power become scarce or contested.
Where it is weakest there the thread breaketh. — Failure occurs at the point of greatest vulnerability, not where strength exists.
Their folly pleads the privilege of wealth. — Wealth allows the foolish to escape natural consequences that would humble ordinary peopl…
Everything is the worse for wearing. — Constant use and time erode even the finest things, diminishing their quality and value.

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