{"id":3611,"date":"2022-05-21T18:58:32","date_gmt":"2022-05-21T18:58:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3611"},"modified":"2022-05-21T18:58:50","modified_gmt":"2022-05-21T18:58:50","slug":"if-it-aint-broke-dont-fix-it-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/if-it-aint-broke-dont-fix-it-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking for a way to tell a person to stop interfering with a process providing the results you want? If so, you could tell them, \u201c<em>if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it,<\/em><em>\u201d<\/em> to ask them to leave it alone. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The expression \u201c<em>if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it<\/em>\u201d means that if something is working and producing the required results, don\u2019t tinker with it. Adjusting things when they\u2019re working well can spell disaster by changing the process.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The phrase means that there is no need to constantly look for improvement when you are doing well. Instead, you should focus on what\u2019s working well and ride the momentum to the upside. When you use \u201c<em>if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it<\/em>,\u201d you\u2019re telling someone not to change their strategy or risk derailing their efforts thus far. Why ruin a good thing?<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWe have a good thing going here, guys. Let\u2019s not reinvent the wheel. If it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it, and we need to keep things as they are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know what they say, if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it, leave that thing alone there, sonny, before you ruin everything for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDidn\u2019t anyone ever tell you if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it?\u201d What do you think will happen if you keep playing around with this. If you start changing the experience, everyone will get mad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy should we change the formulation of a medication that\u2019s been working for the last four decades? If it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it, that\u2019s what I have to say about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have no idea what will happen if we make those changes. It could dump the whole business out of this amazing bull run and ruin our progress. If it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3612\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/If-it-aint-Broke-dont-Fix-It.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"132\" height=\"95\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3613\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/If-it-aint-Broke-dont-Fix-It2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"131\" height=\"88\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \"if it ain't broke, don't fix it\" originates from the writings of Thomas Bertram Lance. Lance was the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Jimmy Carter administration in 1977. The newsletter of the US Chamber of Commerce, Nation's Business, quoted Lance as saying the following in May 1977.<\/p>\n<p>Bert Lance believes he can save Uncle Sam billions if he can get the government to adopt a simple motto: \"If it ain't broke, don't fix it.\"<\/p>\n<p>However, while Lance gets the credit for popularizing the expression, its origin goes back to a colloquial saying from the southern states. The Texas newspaper, \"The Big Spring Herald,\" published the following in an article in December 1976.<\/p>\n<p>\"We would agree with the old Georgia farmer who said his basic principle was 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'\"<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"If it ain&#039;t broke, don&#039;t fix it\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DQblzdkKYgg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to If it ain't broke don't Fix It<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Let sleeping dogs lie.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t tempt the tiger.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to If it ain't broke don't Fix It<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>We need an intervention.<\/li>\n<li>Preventative maintenance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>If it ain\u2019t broke don\u2019t fix it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say If it ain't broke don't Fix It Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The saying has nothing to do with fixing things. It's a way of telling someone that they need to leave things alone and let them work themselves out. Using the phrase to describe the need to fix something is incorrect.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase If it ain't broke don't Fix It<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the phrase, \"if it ain't broke, don't fix it,\" when you're trying to tell someone to leave things alone. When things are going well, you don't want them tinkering with the process bringing you success. The phrase suits use in social and professional settings.<\/p>\n<p>At work, you can use it to tell a friend to stop tweaking the sales funnel in the CRM because it might decrease your conversion rate. At home, you could use it to tell your partner not to change a recipe because it will alter the flavor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking for a way to tell a person to stop interfering with a process providing the results you want? If so, you could tell them, \u201cif it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it,\u201d to ask them to leave it alone. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u201cif [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3611"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3611"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3847,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3611\/revisions\/3847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}