proverb · Words worth keeping
It is no use throwing good money after bad.
It is no use throwing good money after bad.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Do not keep adding resources to a failing course merely because you have already spent some. Judge the next commitment by what it can achieve now, rather than by a wish to justify the past.
Example
A group stops buying decorations for an event after the venue cancels, checking what can be reused before committing more to the original plan.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Good money represents resources still available; bad money is what has already been spent without a worthwhile result. The image warns against extending a loss simply to avoid admitting that an earlier choice disappointed. It can apply beyond spending, including time spent on an unsuitable plan. The saying does not establish that every struggling project should stop. New information or a credible change may justify continuing. Its useful question is whether the next contribution has a reasonable purpose of its own, instead of being driven only by attachment to what can no longer be recovered.
When to use it
Use it when a further commitment is being justified mainly by what has already been spent.
Keep in mind
Past disappointment alone does not decide the next step; consider credible new options and remaining obligations.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English