Stitches

What the hell does "A stitch in time saves nine" mean?

I have an idea but just curious what others come up with.

Public Comments

1. If you ever did any sewing, you'd notice that when a seam splits or a thread breaks, the whole row of stitches will come out - especially something sewn on a sewing machine. So the phrase is a cautionary warning to mend a split seam or torn threads before the garment starts to come apart. Over time it has become a metaphor warning people not to procrastinate or delay. It's a little bit like an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure it just means don't postpone the inevitable.
2. It means the same as "an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure"
3. It means that if you take the time to do something preventively now that you can save a lot of effort later.
4. it means that if you do the work earlier it will save more work later on - for example, mending a piece of cloth: one stitch early saves nine stitches. It's a metaphor.
5. One stitch now saves nine stitches later, meaning fix things when the damage is small or it will be to big to get fixed
6. http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/student/idioms/proverbs/stitch.html
7. I always thought that it meant that if you take the time to do a job right the first time and don't rush through it, then you save yourself work in the long run.
8. a stitch in time saves nine stitches. solve the problem before it gets worse or too late. like, correct a child the first time he steals or does something bad or in the future its going to be maybe 10 years in prison that's going to make him truly realize what's right. or, imagine u just had a fight with your boyfriend or girlfriend, solve the problem quickly and get back together instead of waiting a long time and ending a relationship that was probably meant to last forever. a stitch in time saves nine.
9. If you make timely changes and repairs as they come along (a stitch in time) It will greatly save the over-all damage because one problem can lead to another (saves nine)