one who hesitates is lost

A form of he who hesitates is lost — A person who spends too much time contemplating what to do may miss a valuable but fleeting opportunity.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

proverb
  1. alternativeAlternative form of he who hesitates is lost.

    One who hesitates is lost, goes the old saw, but so is one who plunges blindly ahead along a fixed path.

    2009, Ruggero J. Aldisert, Opinion Writing, →ISBN, page 52
Cite this entry
APA

one who hesitates is lost. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20who%20hesitates%20is%20lost

MLA

“one who hesitates is lost.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20who%20hesitates%20is%20lost. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “one who hesitates is lost,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20who%20hesitates%20is%20lost.

Source: one who hesitates is lost on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.