A stitch in time saves nine. — English proverb · Smartyfair

Leave without saving?

You have a change that hasn’t been saved yet. Clicking out of the box saves it — closing now throws that change away.

A stitch in time saves nine. — English proverb · Smartyfair

A stitch in time saves nine.

English proverb

Source foundWisdom1700s

In plain words

Fixing a small problem right away stops it from becoming a big one.

Look up a word

stitch
time
saves
nine

Where these words come from

How sure this is: 83% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: First printed in Thomas Fuller's Gnomologia: Adagies and Proverbs (1732), as 'A Stitch in Time May save nine.' The 'may'-less exact modern wording appears in Francis Baily's Journal (written 1797, published 1856).
Work: Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia
Occasion: 1732
Sources checked: phrases.org.ukChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Fuller 1732 first print; Baily 1797/1856 exact modern wording

Nothing made from these words yet — Storyfaire is where they get made.

More on wisdom

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.

More wise sayings

The early bird catches the worm.English proverb

The wound is the place where the light enters you.

Rumi

You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

Marcus Aurelius

Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.

Marcus Aurelius

An unexamined life is not worth living.

Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.

Where there's a will, there's a way.English proverb

No pain, no gain.English proverb

Practice makes perfect.English proverb

Rome wasn't built in a day.English proverb

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

William Edward Hickson