proverb · Words worth keeping
A danger foreseen is half avoided.
A danger foreseen is half avoided.
In print by 1893 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Recognising a danger early creates an opportunity to reduce it. Awareness is part of prevention, but the word half is an encouraging estimate rather than a measured guarantee of safety.
What the words are saying
A foreseen danger differs from one that arrives unnoticed: there is time to change a plan, prepare a response or seek help. The proverb treats that advance awareness as a substantial part of avoiding harm. Its fraction should be read figuratively, not as a calculation of risk. Seeing a problem does not itself remove it, and some hazards remain difficult to control. The practical question is what the warning makes possible. A useful response connects observation to a proportionate precaution rather than assuming that naming a danger means the necessary work has already been done.
Everyday example
An organiser notices a loose cable before visitors arrive and has it secured instead of merely pointing it out.
When to use it
Use it to connect early warning with practical prevention.
What it does not mean
Awareness alone is not protection, and the fraction is figurative.
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 proverb
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1893 AD · industrial
In print by 1893: recorded in Dictionary of Quotations (1893). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- Dictionary of Quotations (1893) (1893 AD)
Printed citation: Pr. · page_003
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.