English

Alternative forms

• take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves

Proverb

take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves

1. If you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things.
   • 1750, Chesterfield, letter 5 Feb. (1932) IV. 1500:

     Old Mr. Lowndes, the famous Secretary of the Treasury, ‥used to say‥Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves.

   • 1912, G. B. Shaw, Pygmalion ii. 132:

     Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves is as true of personal habits as of money.

   • 1979, R. Cassilis, Arrow of God, iv. xvii.:

     Little things, Master Mally. Look after the pennies, Master Mally, and the pounds will look after themselves.

   • 1999, ‘H. Crane’, Miss Seeton's Finest Hour, xi. 92:

     ‘Yes, it sounds on the melodramatic side,’ he said cheerfully, ‘but in wartime you can't be too careful about the smallest detail. Think of it as along the lines of taking care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves.’

Synonyms

• a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Antonyms

• don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish

Translations