failure to prepare is preparing to fail

proverb

Failing to prepare will cause one to lose or fail.

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Meanings

proverb

alternative he who fails to prepare, prepares to fail · alternative by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail

  1. Failing to prepare will cause one to lose or fail.

Origin

Generally ascribed to Benjamin Franklin, who wrote, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”.

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Cite this entry
APA

failure to prepare is preparing to fail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/failure%20to%20prepare%20is%20preparing%20to%20fail

MLA

“failure to prepare is preparing to fail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/failure%20to%20prepare%20is%20preparing%20to%20fail. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “failure to prepare is preparing to fail,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/failure%20to%20prepare%20is%20preparing%20to%20fail.

Source: failure to prepare is preparing to fail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.