ProverbWisdom
English origin1887
English origin1887The early worm gets eaten
Meaning: Being first isn't always advantageous — sometimes it's risky.
Origin: A joke reversal of "the early bird catches the worm," seen from the worm's side. Chambers's Journal noted in 1887 that "the early worm gets eaten," and the humor magazine Puck printed "The early bird may get the worm, but the early worm gets eaten" in 1897.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, and Japanese
French: Il faut savoir attendre son heure (literally: One must know how to wait for one's hour)
Spanish: No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano (literally: Getting up early doesn't make dawn come sooner)
Japanese: 出る杭は打たれる (Deru kui wa utareru) (literally: The nail that sticks out gets hammered down)
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