the more haste, the less speed

What's the meaning of the idiom '' the more haste, the less speed?''

[tedtmc]

Idiom :
More haste, less speed

Meaning:
The faster you try to do something, the more likely you are to make mistakes that make you take longer than it would had you planned it.

[Kraken]

We have a similar saying in Spanish, "Vísteme despacio, que tengo prisa".
tedctmc has given a good explanation. Nevertheless, I'd put it like this:
Things which are done in a hurry are often done carelessly and are likely to end up wrong; then, you have to start all over again and it will take you double the time it would if you had done it carefuly (not hurrying).

Not a techer, by the way.

[mfwills]

Originally Posted by tedtmc

Idiom :
More haste, less speed

Meaning:
The faster you try to do something, the more likely you are to make mistakes that make you take longer than it would had you planned it.

Which gives rise to the question, "If you don't have the time to do it right, how will you find the time to do it over?"

Matt

[Kraken]

Well, I think the answer has nothing to do with the English grammar,
but anyway I will tell you my opinion.

If you don't have enough time to do something in a proper way, you have, basically, two options.
1. Don't do it (now). Do it later, do it when yo can dedicate it the time it takes.
2. Do it in a hurry at your own risk, but be aware of the (possible) consequences; maybe that awareness may save you from making a mistake.

I hope it helps.

[Bodragon]

OK, here's the low-down:

"More haste, less speed".

Most of us know what this expression means but when you analyse it, it doesn't seem to make sense.
The Oxford dictionary defines haste as "excessive speed". With this in mind, the saying becomes: "Excessive speed, less speed". This is known as an oxymoron (contradictory statement).
How this saying originated is anyone's guess: either it came from some intellectual poet-type trying to be clever or some poorly educated wannabe who got the wrong end of the stick. Either way, it's here to stay.

[Anglika]

More haste, less speed. It seems to make perfectly adequate sense to me.

As a child I was taught always to walk across a road. Running could lead to tripping and falling, thereby preventing you from reaching the other side.

If you are riding a horse over fences and you allow it to rush at them, the chances are that the horse will hit the fence or fall.

If you write a letter in a hurry, you will always end with silly mistakes. If you take a decision about investment without proper consideration, there is every chance of selecting the wrong investment.

If you are driving in heavy traffic and insist on pushing through by aggressive driving, the chances are you will end in hospital, if not a morgue.

[BobK]

Or, in an academic context, the most efficient way to approach an exam (you'll get most marks inn the least time) is by spending the first 10/15 minutes reading through the paper and planning.

A related idiom that I haven't heard for many years is 'a lazy man's load' - trying to avoid an extra journey by carrying more than is safe. So you carry too much, with pieces falling off on the way, and have to make an extra journey anyway to pick things up (damaged/broken/bruised...): more haste less speed.

b

[BobK]

PS

...and to suggest a starting point for bodragon's question about origins, the Latin warning Festina lente might be involved. (This was well-known, and used, in Victorian England. For example, someone in Iolanthe sings

Recollect yourself I pray
And be careful what you say
As the ancient Romans say: 'Festina lente'
For I really cannot see
How so young a girl can be
The mother of a man of five-and-twenty.

(The mispronunciation is part of the characterization.)

Of course, this just suggests the same question (who thought of the oxymoron?), but in a language pre-dating English. (And Latin may have borrowed it from Sanskrit, and ...)

b

[cerecmaster]

How about this


" It's better to do the thing right than to explain why you didn't"