proverb · Words worth keeping
If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Stopping digging when already in a hole pictures ceasing an action that deepens a problem. The saying values reassessment before continuing.
What the words are saying
The excavation image is an analogy rather than an operational instruction. A useful application identifies whether the current action actually worsens the situation and what alternatives exist. Stopping alone may not repair consequences, and some tasks require continued work of a different kind.
Everyday example
A team pauses a counterproductive approach and examines what change would address the underlying issue.
When to use it
Use it to discuss a self-worsening action with evidence and alternatives considered.
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What it does not mean
No universal duty to abandon a task or complete remedy through stopping is established.
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 wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 65; PDF page 14; collection label: Old American West
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Old American West