ProverbWisdomAmerican origin1977

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

Meaning: Don't change something that's working well.

Origin: Popularized by Bert Lance, budget director to President Jimmy Carter, who told the magazine Nation's Business in 1977 that the government could save billions by following the rule "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Lance offered it as plain Georgia common sense, and it spread quickly through engineering and business.

Equivalents in French and German

  • French: On ne change pas une équipe qui gagne (literally: You don't change a winning team)
  • German: Das Bessere ist der Feind des Guten (literally: The better is the enemy of the good)

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