Pempamsie, sew in readiness, takes its name from the literal act of stitching one's clothing securely before entering battle or undertaking difficult work, and Willis records the proverb turning a specific, practical preparation, checking that one's garments will not come apart under strain, into a general symbol of steadfastness, resilience and thorough preparation before any challenge rather than improvisation once it has already begun. He notes the symbol historically carried strong associations with courage in warfare specifically, traditionally worn by warriors and by chiefs who had distinguished themselves in battle, a martial origin comparable to Akofena's and Okodee Mmowere's but expressed through an act of preparation rather than through an image of the fight or the fighter's strength itself.
Willis records the stitching act itself as something Akan warriors historically performed as a genuine practical precaution before combat, checking seams and fastenings that a fall or blow might otherwise tear open at the worst possible moment, so the proverb's image of thorough preparation was, at its root, a literal safety measure rather than only a figure of speech invented after the fact to describe a virtue. He notes this grounding in an actual, verifiable pre-battle practice distinguishes Pempamsie from more purely metaphorical readiness symbols and gives its call to preparation a concrete, checkable referent.