He that runs fastest gets the prize.
Meaning: Swift action and competitive urgency often secure advantages before slower competitors can respond.
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
- Sadness and gladness succeed each other. — Life's emotional states naturally alternate, so neither despair nor joy remains permanent.
- Make not your sail too large for your ship. — Ambition must match your actual resources, or you'll capsize under the weight of your own…
- Salmon and sermon have their season in Lent. — Both salmon and sermons flourish during Lent because scarcity and spiritual focus make th…
- Catch a bird by putting salt on its tail. — Impossible tasks require absurd methods; chasing what flees demands accepting futility.
- You can't make ropes of sand. — Attempting to bind unstable elements together will fail; fragile foundations cannot suppo…
- What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. — Fair rules must apply equally to both parties, regardless of gender or status.
From our idioms
- draw the line at something — To not allow something beyond a certain acceptable point.
- dressed to kill — Dressed to make a strong impression, usually in fancy or stylish clothes.
- drum someone out of the corps — To expel someone from a group or organization.