Question

Bird in the Hand Is Worth Two in the Bush what you already have is better than what you might or might not get in the future; a guarantee is worth more than a promise

Accepted Answer

Take this job now because you don't know if you'll get the other one. Remember that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. This saying began as an ancient Greek proverb. Aesop used it in some of his fables. The ancient Romans repeated it, and in the 1400s it was translated into English. It comes from the sport of hunting birds. Hunters thought that a bird that you had already captured ("in the hand") was better than two you hadn't yet caught ("in the bush"). Today we often hear the same advice; It is better to be content with what you already have than to reject it because you hope that something better will turn up.

Idiom	Bird in the Hand Is Worth Two in the Bush
Example	Take this job now because you don't know if you'll get the other one. Remember that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Meaning	what you already have is better than what you might or might not get in the future; a guarantee is worth more than a promise
Origin	This saying began as an ancient Greek proverb. Aesop used it in some of his fables. The ancient Romans repeated it, and in the 1400s it was translated into English. It comes from the sport of hunting birds. Hunters thought that a bird that you had already captured ("in the hand") was better than two you hadn't yet caught ("in the bush"). Today we often hear the same advice; It is better to be content with what you already have than to reject it because you hope that something better will turn up.

Bird Worth Hand Bush Ancient Job Remember Future