proverb · Words worth keeping
From to-morrow till to-morrow time goes a long journey.
From to-morrow till to-morrow time goes a long journey.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Repeatedly moving a task to tomorrow allows considerable time to pass. Notice the pattern of postponement and choose a concrete next step rather than another indefinite promise.
What the words are saying
Each individual delay can seem small, but successive delays carry the task far from its original moment. The proverb makes accumulated postponement visible. A useful response is to ask what prevents a start: uncertainty, excessive scope, lack of time or a genuine change in priority. Then choose a manageable action or consciously decide not to proceed. That is different from leaving the task suspended through repeated promises. The saying criticises an unexamined pattern, not every deliberate decision to wait.
Everyday example
Someone keeps postponing a difficult letter. They set aside fifteen minutes to draft its first paragraph rather than promising again to complete it tomorrow.
When to use it
Use it when repeated postponement is becoming the default.
What it does not mean
Rest, illness or competing obligations can justify delay. A workable plan is more useful than blaming someone for limited capacity.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 14; French section, paragraph 285; source wording: De demain à demain le temps s’en va bien loin.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.