A danger foreseen is half avoided.
A danger foreseen is half avoided.
Meaning in plain English
Recognising a danger early creates an opportunity to reduce it. Awareness is part of prevention, but the word half is an encouraging estimate rather than a measured guarantee of safety.
Example
An organiser notices a loose cable before visitors arrive and has it secured instead of merely pointing it out.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
A foreseen danger differs from one that arrives unnoticed: there is time to change a plan, prepare a response or seek help. The proverb treats that advance awareness as a substantial part of avoiding harm. Its fraction should be read figuratively, not as a calculation of risk. Seeing a problem does not itself remove it, and some hazards remain difficult to control. The practical question is what the warning makes possible. A useful response connects observation to a proportionate precaution rather than assuming that naming a danger means the necessary work has already been done.
When to use it
Use it to connect early warning with practical prevention.
Keep in mind
Awareness alone is not protection, and the fraction is figurative.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-04. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- Dictionary of Quotations (1893)
Printed citation: Pr. · page_003
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗