An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

1. A little precaution before a crisis occurs is preferable to a lot of fixing up afterward. ( See also A stitch in time saves nine .)

Idioms and Phrases

It is easier to forestall a disaster than to deal with it. For example, The new law makes all children under twelve wear bicycle helmets—an ounce of prevention . This ancient proverb is first recorded in Latin in Henry de Bracton's De Legibus (c. 1240) and has been repeated ever since, often in shortened form.