'An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure'
2020-03-15
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1And now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.
2Sometimes in life, you need to act quickly.
3Thinking too much about a problem does not always help. It can hold us back.
4We have expressions that describe this way of thinking.
5"No time like the present."
6"A rolling stone gathers no moss."
7"Just do it!"
8But sometimes slower is better.
9Many things in life require careful thought and preparation.
10Sometimes we need to be cautious and take precautions.
11A great expression for that kind of behavior is, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
12This saying comes to us from Benjamin Franklin.
13In addition to being a writer, Franklin was a printer, political thinker, politician, scientist, inventor and diplomat.
14He was also one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
15So, he was a busy man.
16But Franklin still found time to write and offer his advice to others.
17If he were alive today, he could probably make a good living as a life coach.
18"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," is one of his most famous sayings.
19Now, Franklin lived during the 1700s, before the metric system took effect in Europe.
20The word ounce means something really small - just two-one-hundredths of a kilogram to be exact.
21So, his expression meant that, when dealing with a problem, spending a small amount of time and effort early on is a good investment.
22It can save you more trouble in the end.
23For example, if a country announces strong measures for containing a virus, we could say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
24It is better to take severe precautions than to suffer severe consequences later.
25Word historians say that when Franklin first used this expression, he was not talking about disease but rather fire prevention.
26During a visit to Boston in 1733, Franklin was impressed with the city's fire prevention methods.
27He tried to bring some of these practices to the city of Philadelphia, where he lived.
28Supposedly, Franklin sent an unsigned letter to his own newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette.
29Published on February 4, 1735, his letter -- "Protection of Towns from Fire" -- began with the expression "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
30Then he wrote about how a city should prepare itself for a fire.
31From protecting yourself against sickness to preventing a house fire, this expression can be used in serious situations.
32It is a fixed expression, meaning we don't change the wording when we use it.
33We simply repeat it as is.
34Let's listen to this example:
35How is the deal going with your real estate agent? Are you ready to buy your new house?
36Just about. I have a few more questions about home insurance.
37So, I'm meeting with a financial advisor and an insurance agent this week.
38They are sure to give you a lot of information. Do really think it's necessary?
39An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
40If I get anything wrong, it will be difficult to fix later on.
41And it will cost more, too!
42Didn't you lose a lot of money on repairs to your house because it was under-insured?
43Um ... Good point. Let's change the subject!
44Now, another way to say this expression is "Better safe than sorry."
45We use this one for many different situations - serious and not so serious.
46Let's listen to this dialogue.
47What a great day to be at the park! Thanks for the invite!
48Sure thing. The weather is great! So, why did you bring an umbrella?
49Well, the weather forecast said it could rain later today.
50I heard that too. But look -- there's not a cloud in the sky!
51Oh, no! You cannot be serious!
52Quick! Come under my umbrella! See. Better safe than sorry.
53Okay, okay! Good point. Now, let's get out of this rain.
54Here it is better to say "better safe than sorry." Benjamin Franklin's advice would have sounded a little too serious.
55And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories!
56The next time you want to take care and avoid problems down the road ... use the expressions you heard here.
57Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo!
1And now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories. 2Sometimes in life, you need to act quickly. Thinking too much about a problem does not always help. It can hold us back. 3We have expressions that describe this way of thinking. 4"No time like the present." 5"A rolling stone gathers no moss." 6"Just do it!" 7But sometimes slower is better. 8Many things in life require careful thought and preparation. Sometimes we need to be cautious and take precautions. 9A great expression for that kind of behavior is, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." 10This saying comes to us from Benjamin Franklin. In addition to being a writer, Franklin was a printer, political thinker, politician, scientist, inventor and diplomat. He was also one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. 11So, he was a busy man. But Franklin still found time to write and offer his advice to others. If he were alive today, he could probably make a good living as a life coach. 12"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," is one of his most famous sayings. Now, Franklin lived during the 1700s, before the metric system took effect in Europe. The word ounce means something really small - just two-one-hundredths of a kilogram to be exact. 13So, his expression meant that, when dealing with a problem, spending a small amount of time and effort early on is a good investment. It can save you more trouble in the end. 14For example, if a country announces strong measures for containing a virus, we could say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." 15It is better to take severe precautions than to suffer severe consequences later. 16Word historians say that when Franklin first used this expression, he was not talking about disease but rather fire prevention. 17During a visit to Boston in 1733, Franklin was impressed with the city's fire prevention methods. He tried to bring some of these practices to the city of Philadelphia, where he lived. 18Supposedly, Franklin sent an unsigned letter to his own newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette. Published on February 4, 1735, his letter -- "Protection of Towns from Fire" -- began with the expression "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Then he wrote about how a city should prepare itself for a fire. 19From protecting yourself against sickness to preventing a house fire, this expression can be used in serious situations. It is a fixed expression, meaning we don't change the wording when we use it. We simply repeat it as is. 20Let's listen to this example: 21How is the deal going with your real estate agent? Are you ready to buy your new house? 22Just about. I have a few more questions about home insurance. So, I'm meeting with a financial advisor and an insurance agent this week. 23They are sure to give you a lot of information. Do really think it's necessary? 24An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If I get anything wrong, it will be difficult to fix later on. And it will cost more, too! 25Didn't you lose a lot of money on repairs to your house because it was under-insured? 26Um ... Good point. Let's change the subject! 27Now, another way to say this expression is "Better safe than sorry." We use this one for many different situations - serious and not so serious. 28Let's listen to this dialogue. 29What a great day to be at the park! Thanks for the invite! 30Sure thing. The weather is great! So, why did you bring an umbrella? 31Well, the weather forecast said it could rain later today. 32I heard that too. But look -- there's not a cloud in the sky! 33Oh, no! You cannot be serious! 34Quick! Come under my umbrella! See. Better safe than sorry. 35Okay, okay! Good point. Now, let's get out of this rain. 36Here it is better to say "better safe than sorry." Benjamin Franklin's advice would have sounded a little too serious. 37And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories! 38The next time you want to take care and avoid problems down the road ... use the expressions you heard here. 39Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo! 40Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 41________________________________________________________________ 42Words in This Story 43moss - n. a type of green plant that has very small leaves and no flowers and that grows on rocks, bark, or wet ground 44cautious - adj. careful about avoiding danger or risk 45consequence - n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions 46impressed - v. to affect especially forcibly or deeply : gain the admiration or interest of 47real estate - n. property in buildings and land 48insurance - n. the amount of money a person regularly pays an insurance company as part of an insurance agreement 49dialogue - n. a conversation between two or more people 50weather forecast - n. a statement saying what the weather will be like the next day or for the next few days.