proverb · Words worth keeping
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying advises leaving something alone when it is not broken. It cautions against changes that have no demonstrated need.
What the words are saying
The informal condition turns a repair decision into a broader question about intervention. A qualified reading checks whether the thing really serves its purpose before calling it sound. Preventive work or improvement may still be useful; the phrase does not establish that all change is wasteful.
Everyday example
A maintainer identifies a concrete problem and weighs a proposed change before altering a working feature.
When to use it
Use it to ask what need a change addresses.
What it does not mean
Working at present does not prove that maintenance or improvement is unnecessary.
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 392; PDF page 59
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.