He who hesitates is lost
Known by almost everyone, this proverb has the right shape to survive. It has a balanced cadence, so it is easy to remember, quote and hand down. And it resonates. We all get it.
It started its popularity in the 1850s when the British Empire was being forged, America was a limitless frontier, and the Industrial Revolution was rebuilding daily life around steam power, stock markets, telegraphs and crowded cities. In those hectic new times opportunities lasted hours rather than seasons.
A saying about fast decisions suited a culture that was leaving the patient farmer behind and embracing individualism, risk and ambition. Speed now belonged to everyone.
By the turn of the 20th century, the proverb was so deeply ingrained in the English-speaking world that it was formally included in major reference books and dictionaries of proverbs. It became an established, timeless adage alongside classics like ‘a stitch in time saves nine’ and ‘look before you leap’.
And, as today’s offering from the Mindful Sceptic Insight Vault suggests, we still like it a lot.
