Prevention is the best medicine.

Meaning: Taking steps to prevent diseases, such as through regular checkups, is more effective than relying solely on medication or treatment.

Choice of Words: Prevention is the act of stopping something from happening. Medicine is a substance used to treat or prevent diseases. Best means most desirable or advantageous.

Alternative Expressions

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Meaning: This means that it's better to do a little bit to stop something bad from happening than to have to do a lot to fix it after it's already happened. It's like saying, It's better to clean up a small spill right away than to wait until it gets bigger and harder to clean.

Choice of Words: Ounce is a small amount of something. Prevention means stopping something from happening. Pound is a large amount of something. Cure means making something better after it's already happened.

A stitch in time saves nine.

Meaning: This means that it's better to fix something small right away than to wait until it becomes a bigger problem. It's like saying, It's better to fix a small hole in your sock right away than to wait until it gets bigger and you have to throw the sock away.

Choice of Words: Stitch is a type of sewing that can be used to fix something. Time is when something happens. Saves means to keep something from happening. Nine is a large number.

Related Expressions