- English translation
Someone who does not truly mean to get the job done will keep dragging out the preliminaries.
- Literal wording
Whoever has no intention of kneading will sit for six days sifting flour.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying criticizes deliberate procrastination. A person who lacks a real intention to complete a task can make its preparation stretch on indefinitely, as in lingering over flour-sifting before kneading, and turn minor preliminary steps into excuses for delay.
It distinguishes careful preparation from avoidance. The point is not that every slow worker is insincere, but that endless attention to preliminaries may reveal unwillingness to proceed to the work itself.
- When it is used
Use it when someone repeatedly delays an undertaking by lingering over setup, planning, or other small prerequisites instead of beginning the central task. It can be a pointed observation about evasive conduct in everyday work or shared responsibilities, so avoid applying it to someone delayed for legitimate reasons.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Someone who does not truly mean to get the job done will keep dragging out the preliminaries.