Sometimes in life , you need to act quickly . Thinking too much about a problem does not always help . It can hold us back . We have expressions that describe this way of thinking . But sometimes slower is better . Many things in life require careful thought and preparation . Sometimes we need to be cautious and take precautions . A great expression for that kind of behavior is , “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure .” This 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 . So , 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 . “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 . So , 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 . For example , if a country announces strong measures for containing a virus , we could say , “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure .” It is better to take severe precautions than to suffer severe consequences later . Word historians say that when Franklin first used this expression , he was not talking about disease but rather fire prevention . During 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 . Supposedly , Franklin sent an unsigned letter to his own newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette . Then he wrote about how a city should prepare itself for a fire . From protecting yourself against sickness to preventing a house fire , this expression can be used in serious situations . How is the deal going with your real estate agent ? Are you ready to buy your new house ? I have a few more questions about home insurance . So , I'm meeting with a financial advisor and an insurance agent this week . They are sure to give you a lot of information . Do you really think it's necessary ? An 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 ! Didn't you lose a lot of money on repairs to your house because it was under-insured ? Let's change the subject ! Now , another way to say this expression is “Better safe than sorry .” We use this one for many different situations – serious and not so serious . Let's listen to this dialogue . What a great day to be at the park ! Thanks for the invite ! The weather is great ! So , why did you bring an umbrella ? Well , the weather forecast said it could rain later today . I heard that too . But look -- there's not a cloud in the sky ! You cannot be serious ! Come under my umbrella ! Better safe than sorry . Now , let's get out of this rain . Here it is better to say “better safe than sorry .” Benjamin Franklin's advice would have sounded a little too serious . The next time you want to take care and avoid problems down the road … use the expressions you heard here .