For the want of a nail

For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail.

― Benjamin Franklin

벤자민 프랭클린 - 가난한 리처드의 달력(Poor Richard's Almanac) 中

못 하나가 없어서 구두를 잃었고

구두 한 짝이 없어서 말을 잃고

말 한마리가 없어서 기수를 잃고

기수가 없어서 전투에서 지고

전투에서 이기지 못해서 왕국을 잃었다.

모든 것은 못 하나가 모자라서

It describes a situation in which a failure to anticipate or correct some initially small dysfunction leads by successively more critical stages to an egregious outcome.

다른 버전도 있다.

"Message" Variation

For want of a nail a horseshoe was lost,
for want of a horseshoe a horse went lame,
for want of a horse a rider never got through,
for want of a rider a message never arrived,
for want of a message an army was never sent,
for want of an army a battle was lost,
for want of a battle a war was lost,
for want of a war a kingdom fell,

and all for want of a nail.

– Unknown^[16]