proverb · Words worth keeping
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes a chain’s strength depend on its weakest link. It highlights a vulnerable part within something that relies on connected parts.
What the words are saying
The physical image can prompt a check of dependencies in a process. A careful application defines the actual dependency rather than labelling a person weak or assuming every system fails in the same way. Support, alternatives and redundancy may change how a limitation affects the whole.
Everyday example
A team checks which required step lacks support and improves that step instead of blaming a participant.
When to use it
Use it to examine dependencies and support needs within a process.
What it does not mean
The image does not establish a universal failure rule or justify reducing a person to a weakness.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 409; PDF page 61
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.