- English translation
Tying an animal up is the best hobble it can have.
- Literal wording
The hobble of the beast is its tying-down.
- Meaning and lesson
What truly keeps a beast of any kind from straying or being taken is simply fastening it securely where it stands. The saying treats tying it down as one and the same with the hobble that binds a camel's leg, so the sound way to guard a possession is to secure it directly and reliably.
More broadly, the saying holds that loss is prevented by sensible precaution taken in advance. An owner who neglects to secure what is valuable invites theft or loss.
- When it is used
Suited to reminding someone that firm, practical safeguards protect what they own, or to faulting someone who lost property through carelessness. It pairs naturally with the related warning that an animal left untied is easily stolen.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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