Discretion is the better part of valor

1. Caution is preferable to rash bravery. Said by Falstaff in King Henry the Fourth, Part One , by William Shakespeare .

Idioms and Phrases

It is better to be prudent than merely courageous, as in I'm signing up for the easy course first; discretion is the better part of valor . This proverb, a synonym of look before you leap , was first recorded in 1477. Charles Churchill put it in poetic form: “Even in a hero's heart, Discretion is the better part” ( The Ghost , 1762). Shakespeare also used a form of it: “The better part of valor is discretion” ( 1 Henry IV , 5:4).