Always have two strings to your bow.
Always have two strings to your bow.
Meaning in plain English
Keep an alternative available when a plan depends on something that may fail. Two strings represent a reserve option, encouraging preparation rather than confidence that one route will always remain usable.
Example
A workshop organiser prints a short outline in case the projector is unavailable.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
A bow with only one usable string becomes ineffective if that string fails. The extra string therefore stands for a practical alternative kept ready before it is needed. Applied to planning, the saying encourages attention to a point of dependence and a workable way around it. A backup need not duplicate every part of the original arrangement; it should address a plausible difficulty. Maintaining alternatives also takes time and resources, so preparation should remain proportionate. The proverb is most useful when it identifies a specific vulnerability, rather than encouraging endless contingency plans or preventing a reasonable choice from being made.
When to use it
Use it to discuss a proportionate backup plan.
Keep in mind
Preparing alternatives should not become endless avoidance of commitment.
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_011
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 ↗