what's done is done

English

Alternative forms

• what's done cannot be undone

Etymology

From a line of dialogue spoken by the character Lady Macbeth in Act III Scene II of Macbeth by William Shakespeare.

Proverb

what's done is done

1. Events that have already taken place cannot be changed and actions that have already been committed cannot be undone, so it is best not to dwell on them.

Translations

events that have already taken place cannot be changed — see also there's no point crying over spilt milk

• Arabic: مَا حَدَثَ قَد حَدَثَ (mā ḥadaṯa qad ḥadaṯa)
• Dutch: gedane zaken nemen geen keer
• French: ce qui est fait est fait (fr)
• German: was getan ist, ist getan
• Hindi: जो होगया सों होगया (jo hogyā sõ hogyā)
• Hungarian: ez a hajó már elment
• Indonesian: nasi sudah menjadi bubur
• Irish: déantar an méid atá déanta
• Japanese: 覆水盆に返らず (ja)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 완료된 작업 (wallyodoen jageop)
• Malay: nasi sudah menjadi bubur
• Maori: e hoki oti te hūare ki te waha
• Persian: کاری است که شده (kâri ast ke šode)
• Polish: co się stało, to się nie odstanie (pl), co było, to było
• Portuguese: o que está feito está feito
• Russian: что сде́лано, то сде́лано (što sdélano, to sdélano)
• Scottish Gaelic: tha na tha air a dhèanamh air a dhèanamh
• Spanish: lo hecho, hecho está
• Welsh: mae'r hyn sy'n cael ei wneud yn cael ei wneud

See also

• genie is out of the bottle
• there's no point crying over spilt milk
• yesterday is gone
• you can't go home again