«اِلْعُمْر تَدْبَرَهْ»

A person's life is something to be managed and planned with care, not gambled away. The saying urges prudence and self-preservation, warning against throwing oneself into peril without forethought, since one's years are too valuable to spend recklessly.

The same words can also defend a cautious retreat. Someone who pulls back from a risky venture may offer the saying to show that avoiding harm is sensible, not shameful, and that nobody should be blamed for protecting their own life.

Say it to warn someone about to plunge into something dangerous to stop and think first, or to explain why you or another person declined a risky undertaking, presenting the retreat as good sense rather than cowardice. The context shows which use is meant.