English · Proverb Candidate

fear not the loss of the bell more than the loss of the steeple

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Do not worry more about a minor loss than a major one

Literally: fear of losing a bell versus a steeple

Examples

In the face of bankruptcy, fear not the loss of the bell more than the loss of the steeple, and prioritize your most valuable assets

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “fear not the loss of the bell more than the loss of the steeple” mean?

Do not worry more about a minor loss than a major one Literally: fear of losing a bell versus a steeple

Is “fear not the loss of the bell more than the loss of the steeple” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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