proverb · Words worth keeping
Let well alone.
Let well alone.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Leave a satisfactory arrangement alone when changing it would add risk without a clear benefit. Improvement is most useful when there is a real need to address.
What the words are saying
Well describes something already working acceptably. The proverb counsels restraint when the urge to alter it comes from restlessness, perfectionism or the assumption that every change must be progress. It can be useful before a needless adjustment that might unsettle a reliable system. Yet a working arrangement can still have hidden weaknesses, unfair effects or a foreseeable future problem. The saying asks for a reasoned comparison of benefit and disruption, not a ban on maintenance or development. Knowing why something works can help distinguish a necessary improvement from change made merely for its own sake.
Everyday example
A group leaves its reliable check-in process in place for the current event instead of introducing an untested tool the night before.
When to use it
Use it when a change offers little clear benefit to an already satisfactory arrangement.
What it does not mean
Working well now does not remove the need for maintenance or changes that address genuine problems.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or 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
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1749 · Well
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English