prudence
\ PROOD-ns \,noun;
1.caution with regard to practical matters; discretion.
2.the quality or fact of being prudent.
3.regard for one's own interests.
4.provident care in the management of resources; economy; frugality.
Quotes:
Prudence , indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes...
-- Thomas Jefferson et al., Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
Frank was so seduced by this notion, which ran counter to all his family's precepts on thrift and prudence , that he agreed…
-- Megan McAndrew, "Dreaming in French," 2009
Origin:
Prudence entered English in the 1300s. It comes from the Latin prūdentia meaning “foresight; providence.”
Dictionary.com
