proverb · Words worth keeping
What may be done at any time will be done at no time.
What may be done at any time will be done at no time.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The contrast between any time and no time warns that a task left entirely unscheduled may keep being postponed. It asks for a concrete intention.
What the words are saying
The word reversal makes indefinite availability resemble noncompletion. A qualified interpretation checks what prevents action and what arrangement would help, rather than assuming procrastination or treating a date as sufficient. Unscheduled work can still happen, and not every task needs the same kind of deadline.
Everyday example
Someone replaces a vague intention to contact a colleague with an agreed occasion that suits both people.
When to use it
Use it to discuss a practical arrangement for a repeatedly deferred task.
What it does not mean
No inevitable noncompletion or guarantee from scheduling alone is established.
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
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 845; PDF page 119
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.