Some examples from England... 'A stitch in time saves nine' - To explain it literally, it's better to fix a small hole with one stitch, than wait for it to get bigger and have to make nine stitches. So, it's better to try and solve a problem early, than wait until it gets worse. 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket' - If you put all your eggs in one basket, and you drop the basket, all the eggs will break. So, don't just depend on one person/situation/job to sort everything out. 'A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush' (often shortened to 'a bird in the hand...') - Again, literally, it is better to have one bird in your hand, than to risk letting it go to try and get the two birds in the bush. So, it's better to have something small and definitely have it, than to risk losing it in order to get something bigger that isn't guaranteed. 'Don't count your chickens (before they are hatched)' - Literally, if you have 4 eggs, don't assume you will definitely have 4 chickens. So, don't expect or depend on a certain outcome before it has happened. 'In for a penny, in for a pound' - Comes from the situation where, if you owe someone a penny, you might as well owe them a pound, because the difference in punishment for both is not a lot. It means, if you've started something, or got in evolved in something, you might as well see it through.