Never quit certainty for hope.
Never quit certainty for hope.
Meaning in plain English
Be cautious about giving up something dependable for an uncertain expectation. Consider what is actually secured and what is only hoped for before treating a possible improvement as an available replacement.
Example
A club keeps its confirmed meeting room while checking whether a more suitable venue is genuinely available, rather than cancelling on the strength of an informal suggestion.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The proverb contrasts certainty with hope and urges protection of what can already be relied upon. It can apply when an attractive possibility tempts someone to surrender a workable arrangement before its replacement exists. Never makes the advice emphatic, but it is too absolute to serve as a rule for every decision. Some worthwhile changes require accepting uncertainty, and a supposedly secure arrangement can have serious disadvantages. The practical lesson is to name the tradeoff clearly: what would be lost, what evidence supports the new possibility and whether a smaller or reversible step could test it first.
When to use it
Use it when an uncertain replacement is being treated as though it were already secured.
Keep in mind
Some changes justify uncertainty; the proverb does not require staying in an unsuitable or harmful arrangement.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 222 · Certainty
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗