Cross That Bridge When We Come to It
“Cross that bridge when we come to it” means deal with a possible problem if and when it actually arises instead of worrying about it in advance. An 1851 Longfellow text directly preserves an older negative form and explicitly calls it an old proverb.
It means postponing worry or action about a hypothetical problem until the issue becomes real. Longfellow’s 1851 The Golden Legend directly contains “Don’t cross the bridge till you come to it” and calls it an old proverb, which is evidence of circulation—not evidence that Longfellow invented it.
Key details
What the evidence supports
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow invented the proverb in 1851.
The 1851 text itself calls the saying “a proverb old,” indicating prior circulation.
The proverb was in literary print by 1851.
The 1851 Longfellow text has been directly inspected in Project Gutenberg.
Documented timeline
- 1851
Longfellow prints the proverb as already old
The Golden Legend contains the negative bridge proverb and explicitly labels it old, establishing literary circulation by 1851 without establishing coinage.
Variants
Current positive form represented by Cambridge.
Directly inspected in Longfellow’s 1851 The Golden Legend.
Meaning over time
Defer hypothetical problems
Deal with a problem when it becomes real instead of worrying about it beforehand.
Further guidance
Contextual Examples
We may need a larger room if attendance doubles, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it.
There is no need to choose a backup route today; we will cross that bridge when we come to it if the road closes.
Meaning
Cambridge gives the modern sense: do not worry about a possible problem now; deal with it if or when it happens.
Meaning Boundary
It does not mean “ignore every risk.” If a problem already requires preparation or has immediate consequences, the proverb can misstate the situation.
Origin boundary
Because the 1851 text itself calls the saying old, Longfellow is evidence for the proverb’s nineteenth-century circulation but not a plausible sole inventor.
Practical Use
Use the proverb when a possible future problem does not need a decision yet and can reasonably be handled if it actually arises.
Primary Text
Project Gutenberg’s transcription of Longfellow’s 1851 The Golden Legend contains the proverb in its negative form and immediately describes it as old.
Tone Boundary
The phrase can sound reassuring, pragmatic, or dismissive depending on context, so avoid it when someone is raising a serious issue that genuinely needs advance planning.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Cross that bridge when you come to it — meaning (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Current proverb meaning
- The Golden Legend — 1851 text (opens in a new tab)Project Gutenberg · Directly inspected 1851 Longfellow occurrence
- Cross a bridge when one comes to it — idiom history (opens in a new tab)Dictionary.com / American Heritage Idioms · Historical summary and 1851 Longfellow record