Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Most Anticipated Books of 2025!

Why do we say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"?

Well-Known Expressions

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

Meaning:

Don't try to improve a system that already works well enough

Background:

The expression originated in the USA in the 20th century, and is often attributed to Thomas Bertram Lance (1931 - 2013), known as Bert Lance, who was a close adviser to Jimmy Carter during his successful 1976 campaign and became director of the Office of Management and the Budget (OMB) in Carter's government. Lance resigned in 1977 after William Safire's Pulitzer Prize-winning article raised questions about mismanagement and corruption at Calhoun National Bank while Lance was Chairman of the Board. Lance was later acquitted of all charges and returned to Calhoun Bank as chairman from 1981 to 1986.

From a 1977 issue of Nation's Business, the newsletter of the US Chamber of Commerce:

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." He explains: "That's the trouble with government: Fixing things that aren't broken and not fixing things that are broken."

However, while it seems that Lance popularized the term, he was not the first to use it. For example, The Phrase Finder points to a reference in the Texas newspaper, The Big Spring Herald, December, 1976:

"We would agree with the old Georgia farmer who said his basic principle was 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'"

Some correspondents in the forum say they recollect hearing the expression long before the 1970s, and maybe it was used in speech before this time and/or variations are in print, but The Phrase Finder was unable to find any print record before 1976.

More expressions and their source

Challenge yourself with BookBrowse Wordplays

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The Bluest Eye
    by Toni Morrison
    The story of a black girl in America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others. First published 1970; won the 1993 Nobel Prize.
  • Book Jacket
    The Frozen River
    by Ariel Lawhon
    From the bestselling author of I Was Anastasia comes a historical mystery inspired by 18th-century midwife Martha Ballard, who investigates a shocking murder.
  • Book Jacket
    The Wager
    by David Grann
    From the bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a gripping story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth.
Who Said...

When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which ...

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Beast of the North Woods
    by Annelise Ryan

    When a local fisherman is mauled to death, it seems like the only possible cause is a mythical creature.

  • Book Jacket

    Harlem Rhapsody
    by Victoria Christopher Murray

    The extraordinary story of the woman who ignited the Harlem Renaissance.

  • Book Jacket

    Three Days in June
    by Anne Tyler

    A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter's wedding.

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

D to T N

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.