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He who hesitates is lost

Meaning: Indecision leads to missed opportunities.

Origin: Joseph Addison's play Cato (1713).

Translations

  • French: L'hésitation perd la bataille (literally: Hesitation loses the battle)
  • Spanish: Quien vacila, pierde (literally: He who hesitates, loses)
  • Japanese: 迷う者は敗れる (Mayou mono wa yabureru) (literally: Those who hesitate are defeated)

More proverbs about Challenge

  • A gem cannot be polished without friction — Excellence and greatness are only achieved through struggle and hardship.
  • The darkest hour is just before the dawn — Situations often worsen right before they improve dramatically.
  • It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness — Taking constructive action is more effective than complaining about a problem.
  • When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion — Collective effort by many can overcome even the most powerful opposition.
  • It is not the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the fight in the dog — Determination and spirit matter far more than physical size or advantage.
  • The obstacle is the path — Difficulties are not barriers to our goals but the very means by which we achieve them.

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