He who hesitates is lost

1. A person who spends too much time deliberating about what to do loses the chance to act altogether.

Idioms and Phrases

One who cannot come to a decision will suffer for it, as in I couldn't make up my mind, and now the offer has expired—he who hesitates is lost. Although the idea is undoubtedly older, the present wording is a misquotation or an adaptation from Joseph Addison's play Cato (1712): “The woman that deliberates is lost.”

Example Sentences

He who hesitates is lost. Procrastination is the thief of time.

From Salon

Here in very truth is a case where "he who hesitates is lost!"

From Project Gutenberg

You know ‘he who hesitates is lost’—in this case, loses a great bargain.

From Project Gutenberg

He who hesitates is lost, they say.

From Project Gutenberg

I stood a second or two undecided whether to go or stay, and "he who hesitates is lost."

From Project Gutenberg