And similarly:

  For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
  For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
  For want of a horse the rider was lost.
  For want of a rider the message was lost.
  For want of a message the battle was lost.
  For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
  And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

This formulation appears to be at least a few hundred years old. Antecedents are recorded back to the 1300s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Want_of_a_Nail