time and tide wait for no man

English

Alternative forms

• time and tide
• time and tide stay for no man
• time and tide tarry for no man

Etymology

A figura etymologica – time and tide respectively derive from Proto-Germanic *tīmô and *tīdiz, which are ultimately related.

Proverb

time and tide wait for no man

1. Opportunities will not wait; action should be undertaken without delay.
   • 1857, Charles Dickens, chapter 22, in Little Dorrit:

     "And now", said Daniel, looking at his watch, "as time and tide wait for no man, my trusty partner, and as I am ready for starting, bag and baggage, at the gate below, let me say a last word".

   • 1903, P. G. Wodehouse, "Work" in Tales of St. Austin's:

     "Do you not think, my dear lad, that you had better begin? Time and tide, as you are aware, wait for no man".

Synonyms

• time is of the essence
• procrastination is the thief of time
• there's no time like the present

Translations

proverb

• Burmese: အချိန်နှင့် ဒီရေသည် လူကိုမစောင့် (a.hkyinhnang. diresany lukuima.caung.)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 時不我待／时不我待 (zh) (shíbùwǒdài), 歲月不等人／岁月不等人 (suìyuè bù děng rén)

• Finnish: aikaa ei ole tuhlattavaksi
• German: Das Rad der Zeit hält niemand auf
• Japanese: 歳月人を待たず (ja) (さいげつひとをまたず, saigetsu hito o matazu)
• Korean: 세월은 사람을 기다려 주지 않는다 (sewor-eun saram-eul gidaryeo juji anneunda)
• Portuguese: o tempo e a maré não esperam por ninguém
• Russian: вре́мя не ждёт (vrémja ne ždjót)
• Tamil: ஐயர் வரும் வரை அம்மாவாசை காத்திருக்காது (aiyar varum varai ammāvācai kāttirukkātu)

See also

• he who hesitates is lost
• look before you leap
• strike while the iron is hot