Mischiefs come by the pound and go away by the ounce.
Meaning: Problems accumulate quickly through negligence but dissolve only through sustained, deliberate effort.
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.
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Money is more easily made than made use of. — Earning wealth requires less wisdom than spending it prudently without self-destruction.
- The abundance of money ruins youth. — Wealth without struggle strips young people of the resilience and character earned throug…
- Tis money makes the mare to go. — Without financial resources, even the most capable asset remains immobilized and worthles…
- He that hath no money needeth no purse. — Poverty eliminates the burden of safeguarding wealth you don't possess.
- The moon's not seen where the sun shines. — Lesser truths become invisible when greater ones dominate our attention and understanding.
- The more the merrier; the fewer the better cheer. — Larger crowds dilute individual portions and attention; intimate gatherings allow deeper…
From our idioms
- not worth a hill of beans — Worthless.
- out of the frying pan and into the fire — From a bad situation to one that is even worse.
- out to lunch — Absent-minded, unaware or confused (sentence 1); ignorant on some topic (sentence 2); har…