If you want a thing done, do it yourself.
Meaning: Delegating tasks risks poor execution, so personal effort guarantees desired results.
Origin: The French playwright Charles-Guillaume Étienne wrote in Bruis et Palaprat that one is never so well served as by oneself — on n'est jamais servi si bien que par soi-même — a line also credited to Napoleon. English turned it into the practical rule of doing important jobs yourself.
More proverbs about Perseverance
- Almost was never hanged. — Narrow escapes from danger don't count as actual survival until the threat completely pas…
- Well begun is half done. — Starting with proper preparation and intention dramatically increases your likelihood of…
- Borrowed garments never fit well. — Relying on others' solutions or resources inevitably misaligns with your unique circumsta…
- Never quit certainty for hope. — Abandoning what you reliably have for uncertain future prospects invites unnecessary loss.
- Who never climbed, never fell. — Avoiding risk entirely guarantees safety but also prevents growth, achievement, and the v…
- Diligence is a good patrimony. — Hard work and industrious habits, inherited or cultivated early, provide more lasting wea…
From our compliments & insults
- Du bist nicht die hellste Kerze auf der Torte — You're a little dim — not the smartest in the room.
- Tu as une cervelle de moineau — You're scatterbrained and forgetful.
- Без царя в голове (Bez tsarya v golove) — Foolish and reckless — with no one in charge upstairs.