proverb · Traditional
Growing old is inevitable; growing up is optional.
The saying contrasts growing older with choosing to grow up. It separates passing time from the maturity expected in conduct.
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532 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional
Happy is he who hath sown his wild oats betimes.
The saying imagines youthful recklessness being finished early enough for a more settled life. Its seed image does not make harmful conduct a necessary stage of growth.
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Happy is the wooing, That is not long a-doing.
The saying praises a courtship that reaches agreement quickly. A careful reading questions whether speed actually serves the people involved.
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Haste makes waste.
The saying makes haste produce waste. It warns that rushing may undermine the result or require work to be done again.
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Haste trips up its own heels.
A hurried approach can create the very obstacle that slows it down. Notice when urgency is leading you to skip the steps needed to move forward reliably.
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Hasty men never lack woe.
Acting hastily can create avoidable trouble by leaving relevant questions unchecked. The saying criticises rushed action, while its absolute wording should not make every quick decision seem wrong or every delay wise.
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Hasty resolutions seldom speed well.
Decisions made too quickly may overlook what would help them succeed. The proverb questions rushed commitment, without proving that a slow decision is always better or that urgent action must wait.
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Have but few friends, though many acquaintances.
A few dependable friendships can matter more than a large circle of casual contacts. Give close relationships enough attention rather than assuming that every acquaintance offers the same trust.
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Have not the cloak to make when it begins to rain.
Prepare what you can before the need becomes urgent. Waiting until a foreseeable problem arrives may leave too little time to create the protection or resources that would help.
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He gives twice who gives quickly.
Quick giving described as giving twice values help received while it can make a difference. The saying gives timeliness extra weight.
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He giveth twice who gives in a trice.
Help offered promptly can be especially valuable when timing matters. A useful contribution may lose much of its purpose if it arrives only after the need has passed.
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He Laughs Best Who Laughs Last.
The saying gives the best laugh to the person who laughs last. It values the eventual outcome over an early appearance of advantage.
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He liveth long that liveth well.
A life can be valued for how it is lived as well as for its duration. Living well gives the idea of a long life an ethical or qualitative meaning.
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He loses his thanks who promise and delays.
The saying links delayed fulfilment with losing thanks. It suggests that a promise may disappoint when useful action is postponed.
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He loseth his thanks who promiseth and delayeth.
A promised kindness may lose its value to the recipient if it is delayed too long. The saying connects appreciation with timely follow-through, without making gratitude an entitlement or ignoring reasonable limits.
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He that lives not well one year sorrows for it seven.
A period of careless or wrongful living can have consequences that last longer than the period itself. One year and seven years create an exaggerated contrast in duration.
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He that riseth betimes hath something in his head.
Starting early may indicate a purpose someone wants to pursue. The saying reads an early beginning as a sign of intention rather than idle movement.
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He that runs fast will not run long.
A very intense pace may be difficult to sustain over a long task. Match the effort to the distance ahead rather than assuming that the fastest start produces the best overall result.
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He that runs in the night stumbles.
Acting quickly without enough visibility can lead to mistakes. The running-at-night image cautions against moving faster than the available understanding, without making caution an excuse for endless delay or supplying practical running instructions.
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He that sings on Friday shall weep on Sunday.
The saying predicts Sunday sorrow for someone who sings on Friday. It turns enjoyment on one day into an omen about another.
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He that waits for a dead man's shoes may go long enough barefoot.
Depending on a benefit that will arrive only when another person is gone can leave you waiting indefinitely. Build your plans around available possibilities rather than a vacancy or inheritance you cannot control.
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He that will thrive must rise at five. He that hath thriven may lie till seven.
The saying links early effort with advancement and imagines success allowing more leisure. Its clock times are memorable rhetoric rather than a universal schedule.
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He that's needy when he is married Shall be rich when he is buried.
The rhyme promises wealth at burial to someone needy at marriage. It contrasts the beginning of a household commitment with an end at which wealth cannot be enjoyed in the same way.
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He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.
The saying lets someone retreat from a fight and live to fight again. As an analogy, withdrawing now can preserve the possibility of a later response.
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