Count not your chickens before they are hatched.
Count not your chickens before they are hatched.
Meaning in plain English
Do not treat an expected benefit as if you already have it. Plans should allow for the possibility that an uncertain result will not arrive.
Example
A freelancer waits until a prospective client signs the contract before buying equipment with the expected fee.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
An egg is a possibility rather than a living chicken: some eggs may not hatch. The image cautions against spending, promising or celebrating on the assumption that a hoped-for outcome is certain. A likely result can still be useful for planning, but it should remain distinct from something secured. The saying is especially relevant when one uncertain event supports several later commitments. It asks you to leave room for disappointment rather than turning a forecast into a fact. Hope and preparation can continue without pretending that the result is guaranteed.
When to use it
Use it when someone is committing resources against an outcome that is still uncertain.
Keep in mind
It does not forbid forecasts or sensible preparation; distinguish an estimate from a secured result.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-03. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 237 · Chickens
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗