ProverbWisdom
Italian origin
Italian originLa gatta frettolosa fece i gattini ciechi
Meaning: Doing things in a hurry leads to poor results.
Literally: The hasty cat gave birth to blind kittens
Example: “Hai consegnato il lavoro pieno di errori: la gatta frettolosa fece i gattini ciechi.” — You handed in work full of mistakes: haste makes waste.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 7 more languages
English: Haste makes waste
French: Qui se hâte trop se fourvoie (literally: Whoever hurries too much goes astray)
Spanish: Las prisas son malas consejeras (literally: Haste is a bad advisor)
Japanese: 急いては事を仕損じる (Seite wa koto wo shisonjiru) (literally: If you hurry, you'll mess things up)
German: Eile mit Weile (literally: Hurry with leisure)
Portuguese: A pressa é inimiga da perfeição (literally: Haste is the enemy of perfection)
Dutch: Haastige spoed is zelden goed (literally: Hasty speed is seldom good)
Russian: Поспешишь — людей насмешишь (Pospeshish' — lyudey nasmeshish') (literally: Hurry and you'll make people laugh)
Polish: Co nagle, to po diable (literally: What's done in haste is the devil's work)
Chinese: 欲速则不达 (Yù sù zé bù dá) (literally: Want speed and you won't arrive)
Arabic: العجلة من الشيطان (Al-ʿajala min ash-shayṭān) (literally: Haste is from the devil)
Turkish: Acele işe şeytan karışır (literally: The devil meddles in hasty work)
Origin: The joke is that all kittens are born with their eyes closed; the proverb blames it on the mother's haste.
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- alla carlona In a careless, rough, or sloppy way without regard for neatness or precision.
- battere i tacchi To run away or flee hastily.
- dove non batte il sole On one's backside; used in crude retorts, like English "where the sun doesn't shine."
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