If you wish a thing done, go; if not, send.
Meaning: Delegating tasks to others risks poor execution; important matters demand your personal attention and effort.
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 Perseverance
- Think of ease, but work on. — Comfort tempts idleness, yet sustained effort alone transforms aspiration into achievemen…
- Tis hard to sail o'er the sea in an egg-shell. — Fragile vessels cannot survive harsh conditions; attempting impossible tasks with inadequ…
- Everything hath an end, and a pudding hath two. — Even desserts that seem endless eventually conclude, and some things finish twice—once ea…
- There's never enough where nothing's left. — Hoarding depletes resources faster than sharing them, making scarcity worse for everyone.
- Tis a hard battle where none escapes. — In conflicts where everyone suffers losses, victory itself becomes meaningless and costly.
- He had need rise betimes that would please everybody. — Rising early cannot satisfy conflicting demands; some desires are inherently incompatible.
From our untranslatable words
- Flemme — A total absence of motivation to do anything — a profound, almost existential reluctance…
- Spleen — A deep, existential ennui — a heavy, formless sadness and disgust with the world and ones…
- Épanouissement — The full flourishing of a person — blooming into your most complete, radiant self. More t…