Haste over nothing but catching fleas.
Meaning: Rushing accomplishes nothing worthwhile; only frantic, undignified scrambling matches hurried effort's value.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Pull down your hat on the wind side. — Protecting yourself from hardship requires strategic positioning, not merely hoping diffi…
- Make hay while the sun shines. — Seize opportunities during favorable conditions before circumstances change and make prog…
- He that hath no head, needs no hat. — The physically disabled or disadvantaged face absurd social expectations about conforming…
- Better be the head of an ass than the tail of a horse. — Leading a humble domain grants more authority and respect than serving in an exalted posi…
- When the head aches, all the body is the worse. — A leader's weakness or poor decisions inevitably harm everyone under their authority.
- God healeth, and the physician hath the thanks. — Skilled professionals receive credit for outcomes they facilitate, even when forces beyon…
From our tongue twisters
- 吃葡萄不吐葡萄皮，不吃葡萄倒吐葡萄皮。(Chī pútao bù tǔ pútao pí, bù chī pútao dào tǔ pútao pí.) — A 'pú/tǔ/pí' drill with reversing logic — the negations flip the meaning as the tongue tr…
- 黑化肥发黑会挥发；灰化肥发灰会挥发。(Hēihuàféi fā hēi huì huīfā; huīhuàféi fā huī huì huīfā.) — A 'hēi/huī/huì/fā' four-tone minefield — the tones alone change every meaning.
- De kat krabt de krullen van de trap. — A 'kr' cluster drill — Dutch consonant pileups that beginners approach with dread.