What does better the devil you know mean?

Question

What does better the devil you know mean?

Answer 1

it means, stick with what you have no matter how bad it is as if you change it, it may be worse  

Answer 2

the full phrase is 'better the devil you know than the one you don't'...

i guess it means if you have a problem or something to deal with, its better to have a problem youre at least familiar with, than one that you've never had to deal with before.

Answer 3

This is the shortened form of the full idiom, 'better the devil you know than the devil you don't', and means that it is often better to deal with someone or something you are familiar with and know, even if they are not ideal, than take a risk with an unknown person or thing.  

Answer 4

It just means it is better to know for your own self as if you didnt it could mean trouble ahead.

Answer 5

if theres two bad things, one you know everything about it and the other you are unaware of, its better to choose the thing you know everything about, because the other thing could be really bad.

i don't agree with it, its basically saying never take risks they could turn out bad. i think quite often they turn out good ! :)  

Answer 6

Could your full question be `better the devil you know, than the angel you dont know? This means means that you are better off trusting a person whose flours and frailties are already known to you than embracing a completely new face whose character is unknown and whe might turn out to be worse.