The meaning of this age-old proverb is quite literal.it effectively means that we must attend to things well in time so that we can save ourselves a lot of trouble later on if it becomes unmanageable. Just as it takes only a spark to start a fire, which if not put out in time causes great devastation. Similarly, the minutest problem if not attended immediately could lead to a major catastrophe.
As one immediately attends to a small hole in one’s pocket with a stitch, which if unattended could develop into a tear, leading to nine stitches at a later date. Similarly, if we postpone attending to minor day to day problems, they do not disappear, but come back to us in a much more gigantic form. We must learn to face our problems. However, we in our haste, tend to overlook the small details, which is the cause of major problems at a later date.
Therefore, we must attend to even minor problems immediately and not postpone action for a later date, which may be a little too late. This is a sound piece of advice that is relevant even today and would always stand us in good stead in our life. We can ignore this to our own peril.
