proverb · Words worth keeping
Be not too hasty to outbid another.
Be not too hasty to outbid another.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Competing for something can tempt a person to act before judging whether the next commitment is worthwhile. The saying favours a pause before outbidding, without prescribing a purchase strategy or making every competitive response unwise.
Example
Two organisers want the same rehearsal slot, and one checks the alternative times before offering extra work merely to secure the contested evening.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Outbidding another makes the competing person part of the decision. The warning is that the wish to win can become more prominent than the value of what is being sought. In a broader reading, someone may offer more time, effort or responsibility simply to avoid being surpassed. A useful response returns to the purpose and the added consequences of the next offer. The proverb does not set a correct price or imply that waiting always gives an advantage. It asks whether competition is driving an unexamined commitment, while leaving a considered decision possible when the terms and limits are understood.
When to use it
Use it when the desire to win is beginning to displace the purpose of an offer.
Keep in mind
A pause does not guarantee an advantage; this is not personalised bidding or financial advice.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English