How to Read “If you’re in a hurry, take the roundabout way”
Isogaba maware
Meaning of “If you’re in a hurry, take the roundabout way”
“If you’re in a hurry, take the roundabout way” means that when you’re rushed, you should avoid dangerous shortcuts or uncertain methods. Instead, choose a reliable approach even if it takes longer.
This proverb is used when someone is about to choose an easy method out of panic. It encourages them to make calm decisions.
When you’re in a hurry, you tend to focus only on immediate speed. But if that method fails, you end up wasting time anyway.
Choosing a steady approach, even if it takes longer, helps you reach your goal faster in the end. This is the wisdom the proverb teaches.
Even today, this wisdom applies in many situations. Students skip basics to tackle advanced problems. Workers cut corners and make mistakes.
This proverb reminds us to be careful when we’re rushed. It teaches the importance of choosing the reliable path.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb comes from a poem by Sōchō, a renga poet from the Muromachi period. The poem goes: “The warrior’s boat at Yabashi is swift, but if you’re in a hurry, take the roundabout way across Seta’s long bridge.”
There were two ways to cross from Yabashi on Lake Biwa’s east shore to Ōtsu on the opposite side. One was the shortest route by boat across the lake.
The other was a land route around the lake’s southern end, crossing the Karahashi Bridge at Seta. The boat covered less distance, but Lake Biwa could be dangerous with sudden strong winds and waves.
The land route was longer but allowed travelers to reach their destination safely and reliably.
Sōchō’s poem used this geographical situation to express a life lesson. When you’re in a hurry, choose the safe detour over the dangerous shortcut.
This poem became widely known. Eventually it was shortened to the concise proverb “If you’re in a hurry, take the roundabout way.”
It was extremely practical wisdom born from actual geography and travel experience. A concrete experience at Lake Biwa evolved into universal life wisdom. This is a fascinating example of that transformation.
Interesting Facts
The ferry route connecting Yabashi and Seta on Lake Biwa actually operated as “Yabashi Crossing” until the Edo period. It was an important means of transportation for people traveling the Tōkaidō road.
However, it was known as a dangerous route depending on the weather.
“Mononofu” (warrior) in Sōchō’s poem refers to samurai. This word was likely chosen to represent people traveling on urgent business.
Samurai probably had many urgent missions. They may have felt the truth of this proverb especially strongly.
Usage Examples
- I don’t have much time before the exam, but following “if you’re in a hurry, take the roundabout way,” I decided to start over from the basics
- To learn how to use the new software, you should follow “if you’re in a hurry, take the roundabout way” and read the manual properly
Universal Wisdom
Humans have an emotion called panic. When pressed for time, our vision narrows. Only the shortcut right in front of us seems to shine.
This psychology has never changed since ancient times.
“If you’re in a hurry, take the roundabout way” teaches us that panic is our greatest enemy. When rushed, people make poor judgments.
They want to gamble on uncertain methods. They underestimate risks. And when they fail, they lose more than just time.
They lose trust, opportunities, and even peace of mind.
This proverb has been passed down for hundreds of years because this human nature never changes. In every era, people have failed by rushing.
And wise people have always known the value of taking the long way.
Choosing the reliable path takes courage. When everyone around you takes shortcuts, going the long way alone feels scary.
But those who reach the goal reliably are the ultimate winners. Our ancestors learned this truth by the shores of Lake Biwa and passed it to us.
The strength to resist panic—that is true wisdom.
When AI Hears This
When you search for a destination on a map app, the shortest distance route and the shortest time route sometimes appear separately. For example, a 5-kilometer uncongested ring road gets you there 10 minutes faster than a congested 3-kilometer main road.
This is a phenomenon explained by network theory.
In graph theory, locations are called “nodes” and roads are called “edges.” Each edge can be assigned a numerical value called “weight.”
If you set weight as distance, you calculate the shortest distance. If you set it as time, you calculate the shortest time.
What’s interesting is that just by changing the weight setting, the mathematically optimal route changes completely on the same map. In other words, “what you want to minimize” determines which path to choose.
Even more fascinating is this: when you add the number of traffic lights, road width, and accident rates to the weight, you find routes that appear roundabout but minimize total cost.
A famous algorithm called Dijkstra’s algorithm searches for exactly this “true minimum cost path.” Human intuition tends to be pulled by the single metric of distance.
But AI can calculate multiple factors simultaneously and find the truly efficient path. This proverb captured the importance of multi-variable evaluation in optimization problems as experiential wisdom.
Lessons for Today
The modern world is an era where everything is accelerating. Information, work, and relationships all demand speed.
That’s exactly why the wisdom of “if you’re in a hurry, take the roundabout way” may be more necessary now than ever.
When you feel panicked about something, remember these words. Panic whispers to you about shortcuts.
But before you follow that whisper, stop for a moment. Is that method really reliable? If you fail, how great will the cost be?
Choosing the long way is never cowardly. It’s a courageous choice made with your eyes on the goal.
Building foundations, following procedures, never neglecting preparation—these may seem unglamorous. But they move you forward reliably.
Most importantly, walking the reliable path lets you maintain peace of mind. That peace becomes your true strength.
Don’t rush. Be steady. Walk the path you’ve chosen with confidence.
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