The worst spoke in the cart-wheel breaks first.
Meaning: Weakest components fail under strain, revealing themselves before stronger ones.
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
- He that is thrown would ever wrestle. — One who has suffered defeat becomes perpetually combative, unable to accept vulnerability.
- He who maketh others wretched is himself a wretch, whether prince or peasant. — Cruelty corrupts the perpetrator's own soul regardless of their social station or power.
- A growing youth hath a wolf in his stomach. — Adolescent bodies demand constant nourishment to fuel their rapid physical development an…
- Youth and white paper take any impression. — Young minds and blank surfaces alike absorb whatever marks are made upon them, emphasizin…
- Zeal without knowledge is the sister of folly. — Passionate effort without understanding creates problems as readily as ignorance itself d…
- Agree, for law is costly. — Settling disputes peacefully preserves wealth that litigation devours.
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- Magari — One word doing the work of 'if only', 'I wish', 'perhaps' and 'you bet' — the tone decide…