To expect defeat is nine-tenths of defeat itself.
Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while.
Not a tenth of us who are in business are doing as well as we could if we merely followed the principles that were known to our grandfathers.
I've got about ten things to say to you right now. But at least nine of them would make me sound like a psycho.†In spite of the seriousness of the situation, I nearly smiled. “What’s the tenth thing?†I asked his shirtfront. He paused, considering it. “Never mind,†he grumbled. “That one would make me sound like a psycho, too.
I think that one possible definition of our modern culture is that it is one in which nine-tenths of our intellectuals can't read any poetry.