proverb · Traditional
'Tis the early bird catches the worm.
Starting early can help you obtain an opportunity before others reach it. Timely preparation or action may matter as much as waiting for ideal conditions.
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11 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Fortune is a woman; if you neglect her to-day, expect not to regain her to-morrow.
An opportunity passed over today may be unavailable tomorrow. The warning encourages timely assessment, while its gendered personification should not be mistaken for a claim about women.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Good luck makes its way in by elbowing.
Luck is pictured making room for itself rather than waiting passively. The elbowing image values active pursuit of an opening, without promising success or endorsing harm to people in the way.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
He loses his market who has nothing to sell.
An available market is of little use to someone with nothing ready to offer. The contrast links an opening with the preparation needed to take part in it.
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Make hay while the sun shines.
Use favourable conditions while they last. Preparing or completing a task during a suitable period can help you avoid difficulties when those conditions change.
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Opportunity lingers sometimes.
Not every opportunity disappears immediately. Check whether there is genuinely time to consider a choice rather than assuming that urgency is an unavoidable condition of every useful offer.
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Strike while the iron is hot.
Act when conditions are favourable rather than delaying until the opportunity has weakened. Some tasks or decisions are easier to carry out during a short period of readiness.
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Take time by the forelock.
Take a worthwhile opportunity while it is available. A timely action may be more useful than waiting until the moment has passed and trying to recover it afterwards.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Too late the bird cries out when it is caught.
A bird crying only after capture pictures a warning raised when an earlier opportunity to act has passed. Notice difficulties while a useful response is still possible.
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When a thing is done advice comes too late.
Advice sought only after an action may arrive too late to shape that choice. Consider relevant guidance while the decision is still open.
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When our daughter is married sons-in-law are plenty.
Options may become plentiful after a commitment has already been made. The married daughter and arriving sons-in-law expose awkward timing, without treating marriage or people as interchangeable purchases.
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