proverb · Words worth keeping
Better safe than sorry.
Better safe than sorry.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying prefers precaution now to regret later. It gives preventing an avoidable problem priority over dealing with its consequences.
What the words are saying
Better names a preference without specifying the risk or the precaution. A useful application can compare a proportionate check with the consequences it addresses. The phrase does not make every restrictive action worthwhile or promise that caution eliminates uncertainty.
Everyday example
Someone checks an important detail before an irreversible step when the check is practical and relevant.
When to use it
Use it to assess proportionate precautions for an identified risk.
What it does not mean
Caution does not guarantee safety or justify every restriction.
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 168; PDF page 28
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.