How to Read “If you wish to be hasty, then you will not reach your goal”
Sumiyaka naran to hossureba sunawachi tassezu
Meaning of “If you wish to be hasty, then you will not reach your goal”
This proverb means that when you rush too much to get results, you actually fail to achieve your goal.
When trying to accomplish something, impatience makes you skip steps or neglect preparation. This leads to failure and prevents you from reaching your destination.
In studying or working, wanting quick results can be dangerous. You might neglect the basics or skip important processes. Such hasty actions may seem efficient, but they actually take you the long way around.
People use this proverb when someone is rushing through things. It reminds them that steady, calm progress is more important.
Modern society often demands immediate results. But this proverb teaches us that truly important goals require time and patience.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb comes from the ancient Chinese text “Analects of Confucius,” specifically from the “Zilu Chapter.”
When Confucius’s disciple Zixia asked about politics, Confucius replied with these words. The full teaching says: “Do not desire speed, do not see small gains. If you desire speed, you will not reach your goal. If you see small gains, great things will not be accomplished.”
This wisdom was born from experiences in ancient Chinese politics and education. Confucius taught many disciples and often saw young people fail because they rushed for results.
In politics especially, seeking quick outcomes and acting hastily loses people’s trust. It pushes you further from your larger goals.
The teaching came to Japan along with Confucian thought. During the Edo period, samurai widely studied the Analects as part of their education.
This teaching applies universally to martial arts training and academic study. It took deep root in Japanese hearts. It shares the same spirit as the Japanese proverb “Make haste slowly” and has been cherished wisdom in Japanese culture.
Usage Examples
- I kept cramming the night before because I had little time until the exam. “If you wish to be hasty, then you will not reach your goal” proved true when I failed.
- We rushed to hire too many people to launch the new business quickly. As “If you wish to be hasty, then you will not reach your goal” warns, we only created confusion.
Universal Wisdom
Humans have an instinctive desire to achieve goals quickly. Waiting is painful. Wanting immediate results is unchanging human nature across all times and places.
Yet this proverb has been passed down for over two thousand years. This proves that humanity has repeated the same mistake again and again.
Impatience dulls our judgment. When we rush, we skip necessary steps. We overlook things we should check. We bypass experiences we should accumulate.
Then we realize we’ve moved even further from our goal. This applies to individual lives, organizational management, and national politics alike.
What’s interesting is that this proverb doesn’t simply say “go slowly.” It doesn’t deny the desire to achieve quickly. Instead, it warns about the danger of being controlled by that desire.
Passion for your goal is important. But when that passion turns into impatience and makes you lose composure, you lose your way.
Our ancestors deeply understood the conflict in the human heart. They knew the struggle between the impulse to “get quick results” and the reason that says “proceed steadily.”
They embedded in this proverb the truth that real success comes from having the courage to choose the latter.
When AI Hears This
Imagine steering a car. If you turn the wheel sharply on a curve, the car overshoots the target lane and swings to the opposite side.
When you panic and turn the wheel the other way, it overshoots again. While you repeat this oscillation, a car with gentle steering passes you. This is the overshoot phenomenon in control theory.
In engineering terms, when you double the gain to increase system response speed, overshoot increases more than fourfold. The relationship between reaction strength and overshoot isn’t proportional—it worsens exponentially.
The same problem occurs in rocket attitude control. Trying to correct trajectory too quickly wastes fuel and delays reaching the target. That’s why NASA’s control systems deliberately slow their response to achieve the fastest stable arrival.
What’s fascinating is that optimal control theory’s answer is called “critical damping.” This is the mathematically proven optimal solution that reaches the target fastest without oscillation.
Calculations show that the speed humans feel is “a bit slow” is actually physically the fastest. Ancient Chinese thinkers grasped this engineering truth intuitively, without experiments or equations.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches you the importance of having courage to pause, especially in an age that values speed.
On social media, you instantly see others’ success. This makes you feel you must produce quick results too. But truly valuable things take time to grow.
Today, is there something you’re working on where you feel impatient? If so, take a deep breath. Think about what you truly want to value.
Whether it’s getting certified, building relationships, or developing your career, things gained in haste are often lost in haste too.
This proverb doesn’t tell you to be slow. It tells you to be steady. By taking each step firmly, you build real strength.
That strength becomes your own treasure, incomparable to superficial achievements gained in haste. Don’t rush, but don’t stop walking. Keep moving at your own pace.
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