Person 1: “Why are you flood proofing the basement? It’s never flooded before. ”Person 2: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!” Person 1: “You better get a case for that new phone. The screen cracks easily. ”Person 2: “You’re right. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, I guess. ”
Explain why you’re taking precautions against something. Tell someone to put on protection like bug spray or sunblock. Encourage someone to smooth over disagreements before they become arguments. Suggest taking safety measures to prevent the spread of germs.
Person 1: “You should get that tooth looked at. An ounce of prevention!” Person 2: “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll make a dentist appointment. ”
Franklin was not the first person to use this phrase, but he often gets credit for it since his anonymous letter was widely circulated. Sayings similar to this were around as far back as the 13th century. Henry de Bracton’s work De legibus et consuetudinibus Angliae (“On the laws and customs of England”) used something like this phrase in 1235 (although it was in Latin, not English). [5] X Research source
