better safe than sorry
English
editPronunciation
editAudio (General American): (file) - Rhymes: -ɒɹi
- Hyphenation: bet‧ter safe than sor‧ry
Proverb
edit- It is preferable to be cautious in one's choices and actions than to act recklessly and suffer afterwards.
- 1947 September and October, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 320:
- Moreover, apart from official restrictions, drivers do not a little easing of their engines on their own account, where they consider that the feel of the track makes this desirable; and they can hardly be blamed in consequence. It is better to be safe than sorry.
- 1985, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (lyrics and music), “Take On Me”, in Hunting High and Low, performed by a-ha:
- But I'll be stumbling away / Slowly learning that life is OK / Say after me / It's no better to be safe than sorry
Translations
editit is preferable to be cautious