PROVERBS: PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE. Series of proverbs suitable for assemblies or social studies. Recommended for students Years 7 to 13.

2. MEANING
IT IS BETTER TO TRY TO KEEP A BAD THING FROM HAPPENING
THAN IT IS TO FIX THE BAD THING ONCE IT HAS HAPPENED.
OPTION
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN A POUND OF CURE.
IF WE SPEND MORE MONEY ON EDUCATION, SO THAT
CHILDREN LEARN TO BE RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS, WE WON'T
HAVE TO SPEND SO MUCH MONEY ON PRISONS.
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE.

3. PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN A CURE BECAUSE IT LITERALLY
PREVENTS THE DISCOMFORT AND COSTS OF BECOMING SICK
OR EXPERIENCING A SIMILAR PREVENTABLE EVENT.
USING COMMON PREVENTION STRATEGIES SUCH AS REGULAR
HANDWASHING HELPS PREVENT ILLNESSES LIKE COLDS AND
FLU FROM SPREADING.
TAKING THE TIME TO PREPARE AND STORE FOOD SAFELY
PREVENTS FOOD POISONING. IN BOTH CASES, IT IS MUCH
MORE EFFICIENT AND COST-EFFECTIVE TO PREVENT THE
ILLNESS THAN TO CURE IT.

4. HOWEVER, THE IDEA THAT PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN A
CURE REFERS TO MORE THAN JUST ILLNESS.
THE NOW COMMON EXPRESSION "AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION
IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE" ORIGINALLY CAME FROM
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, WHO COINED THE PHRASE WHEN HE
WROTE A SHORT ESSAY ABOUT HOW TO PREVENT HOUSE
FIRES. AS HE NOTED, IT WAS MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE TO
PRACTICE FIRE SAFETY THAN IT WAS TO REBUILD A HOUSE
THAT BURNED TO THE GROUND.

5. TAKING THE TIME TO PREVENT AN INOPPORTUNE SCENARIO
FROM HAPPENING, WHETHER IT IS GETTING SICK, CAUSING A
HOUSE FIRE OR EXPERIENCING A CARELESS ACCIDENT, IS
ALWAYS BETTER THAN DEALING WITH THE SCENARIO AFTER IT
OCCURS.