Take time when time is, for time will away.

Understand the thought

Meaning in plain English

Use an available opportunity while it remains suitable. Time passing makes some choices harder to return to, but the saying does not require accepting every invitation or acting before enough is understood.

What the words are saying

Time is presented both as something currently available and as something that will move beyond reach. That contrast encourages noticing a workable opening instead of indefinitely postponing a task that matters. The image does not establish that every opportunity is scarce or that a person must act immediately to avoid permanent loss. Some decisions deserve further information, and declining can be a considered choice. The useful reading asks whether an arrangement is genuinely suitable now, what delay would change and whether there is a clear reason to wait. It values attention to timing rather than pressure to act for fear alone.

Everyday example

A friend offers to help repair a shared shelving unit during a free afternoon, so the housemates check the materials and agree a time rather than leaving the offer unanswered.

When to use it

Use it when an appropriate opening may be lost through avoidable postponement.

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