For want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe, the horse was lost.
Traditional proverb
Why it matters
The idea in context
The proverb follows a chain of consequence: a missing nail loses the shoe, the shoe loses the horse, and the horse changes the fate of the journey. Its force is not superstition but maintenance. Systems often fail through the small part nobody wanted to stop and fix.
Türkçe
Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.
Bir çivi eksik kaldı mı nal düşer; nal düşünce at, at gidince yolculuk yarım kalır.Geleneksel atasözü
Bu atasözü sonucu zincir gibi izler: Eksik çivi nalı düşürür, nal atı durdurur, at da yolculuğun kaderini değiştirir. Gücü batıl inançta değil, bakım fikrindedir. Sistemler çoğu zaman kimsenin durup onarmak istemediği küçük parçadan çöker.
Source trail
Read beyond the card.
Traditional European proverb. Versions appear across several centuries; George Herbert included a form in Outlandish Proverbs (1640), and Benjamin Franklin later printed a longer version in Poor Richard's Almanack. Audited 2026-07-07.
Background reading: For Want of a NailAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
