He had need rise betimes that would please everybody.

Understand the thought

Meaning in plain English

Trying to please everyone can demand more effort than one person can reasonably provide. The need to rise early is an exaggeration that questions universal approval as a workable goal.

What the words are saying

The person seeking to please everybody is imagined needing an exceptionally early start just to begin the attempt. The image makes the ambition look burdensome, since different people may want incompatible things. It does not imply that waking earlier will solve those differences. A useful reading separates listening fairly to people from promising that every preference will be satisfied. An arrangement may need clear priorities, an explanation of limits and a choice some participants would not have made. The proverb can challenge an impossible expectation of universal approval without excusing indifference to concerns that deserve attention.

Everyday example

A walking group receives conflicting requests for routes and start times, so the organiser explains the chosen plan and arranges to reconsider it after the first outing.

When to use it

Use it when the expectation of pleasing everyone is preventing a clear and fair decision.

Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.