Look before you leap

Cultural  

1. We should know what we are getting into before we commit ourselves.

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look before you leap Idioms  

1. Think of the consequences before you act, as in You'd better check out all the costs before you buy a cellular phone—look before you leap. This expression alludes to Aesop's fable about the fox who is unable to climb out of a well and persuades a goat to jump in. The fox then climbs on the goat's horns to get out, while the goat remains trapped. [c. 1350]

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Example Sentences

However, you’ll need to look before you leap when buying raw land or a developed vacant building lot.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 30, 2021

The lesson: look before you leap after the headlines.

From Time Magazine Archive

You are warned, "look before you leap", 'Cause this leap should not be last lap.

From Truth and the Myth : Couplets quips by Narayanan, A. R.

It is well to look before you leap.

From Talkers With Illustrations by Bate, John

It’s always a safe plan to look before you leap.

From Adventures and Recollections by Bill o'th' Hoylus End