A Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

What does 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush' mean?

The saying ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’ means that it’s better to hold onto something you have rather than take the risk of getting something better which may come to nothing.

Where did the saying 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush' come from?

‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’ is one of the oldest and best-known proverbs in English. It came into the language in the 15th century, probably imported from other cultures. The proverb warns against taking unnecessary risks. It is better to keep what you have (a bird) than to risk getting more and ending with nothing (two birds which are out of your reach).

Origin – the full story

This proverb, like many others, warns against taking risks. It suggests that you should keep what you have and not risk losing it by going after more. The allusion may be to falconry where a bird in the hand (the falcon) was a valuable asset and certainly worth more than two in the bush (the prey).

It is more sekyr [certain] a byrd in your fest, Than to haue three in the sky a‐boue.
This proverbial saying is first found in English in John Capgrave’s The Life of St Katharine of Alexandria, 1450:

John Heywood’s 1546 glossary A Dialogue conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the Prouerbes in the Englishe tongue also includes a variant of the proverb:

Better one byrde in hande than ten in the wood.

Interestingly, the next line in Heywood’s book (which is form in rhyming couplets) is another of the best known proverbs – “Rome was not bylt on a daie (quoth he) & yet stood“. It’s probable that Capgrave didn’t coin the expression himself – many other languages have variants of it. By how long the phrase pre-dates his publication isn’t clear. The 7th century Aramaic Story of Ahikar has text that modern translations render as

“Better is a sparrow held tight in the hand than a thousand birds flying about in the air.”

Plutarch’s Moralia has text that modern translations give as

“He is a fool who leaves things close at hand to follow what is out of reach.”

Or, as the Czechs have it, ‘a sparrow in the fist is better than a pigeon on the roof’. While very similar proverbs existed in various cultures from antiquity there is no record of it existing in English in the form we now use before the 15th century. Heywood’s book is later than Capgrave’s but it was by far the better known, due to Heywood’s prominent position in the Tudor court. It is Heywood who can be credited as the person who introduced the proverb to the English-speaking world. Variations of the proverb which don’t mention birds existed in English prior to 1530, for example, this piece from Wycliffe’s Bible, 1382:

Ecclesiastes IX – A living dog is better than a dead lion.

The expression fits well into the catalogue of English proverbs, which are often warnings, especially warnings about hubris or risk-taking. Some of the better known examples that warn against getting carried away by some exciting new prospect are these:

All that glitters is not gold. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Look before you leap. Marry in haste, repent at leisure. The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley.

The Bird in Hand is a common English pub name. The Bird in Hand was adopted as a pub name in England in the Middle Ages and many with this name still survive. English migrants to America took the expression with them and ‘bird in hand’ must have been known there by 1734 as this was the year in which a small town in Pennsylvania was founded with that name. Other modern day European languages and cultures have their own version of this proverb:

In Czech – ‘Lepsi vrabec v hrsti nez holub na strese’. (A sparrow in the fist is better than a pigeon on the roof.) In German – ‘Der Spatz in der Hand ist besser als die Taube auf dem Dach’. (The sparrow in the hand is better than the dove on the roof.)

The close similarity of these suggests that one is a translation of the other. Which came first and whether either pre-dated the English version we can’t now be sure. See also: the List of Proverbs.

Proverb

How to use this phrase

The proverb A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush is often employed to emphasise the value of certainty over uncertainty, and here are some hypothetical scenarios where it could be effectively used

When offered a guaranteed bonus at work, I remembered the saying, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” and accepted it instead of holding out for a potential, but uncertain, larger promotion.
In the board meeting, the CEO advised caution with the new investment, remarking, “Let’s not forget that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” suggesting that the company should value its current stable assets over risky ventures.
My grandmother always used to say, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” which taught me to appreciate what I have instead of always chasing after something more.
The investor declined the speculative stock options, believing that “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” and chose to stick with his current, steady portfolio.
Facing a tough decision about moving to a new city for a job, I was reminded of the old adage, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” and decided to stay where I was with my secure position.
In her advice column, she wrote, “Remember, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, so consider the merits of the opportunities you already possess before seeking new ones.”
The professor used the phrase “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” to illustrate the concept of opportunity cost in economics, emphasising the importance of valuing certain benefits over uncertain ones.

Usage of the phrase in printed text

The chart depicts the usage of the phrase “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” in printed text, showing an initial peak in the mid-1800s, followed by a general decline until the late 1900s, and then a significant resurgence in the early 21st century..

Other interesting references

Alternative phrases to ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ Stanley Kubrick considered for The Shining

In the French adaptation of the film, the phrase “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” was translated to a culturally relevant idiom, “Un ‘Tiens’ vaut mieux que deux ‘Tu l’auras’,” which conveys a similar message to the English proverb “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” This French version essentially means that having something for certain now is better than the promise of possibly more later. Source.

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About the Author

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

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