if you want a thing done well, do it yourself
- if you want a thing done well, do it yourself
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1541 M. COVERDALE tr. H. Bullinger’s Christian State of Matrimony xix. If thou wilt prospere, then loke to euery thynge thyne owne self.
1616 T. DRAXE Adages 163 If a man will haue his business well done, he must doe it himselfe.
1858 LONGFELLOW Poems (1960) 160 That’s what I always say; if you want a thing to be well done, You must do it yourself.
1927 Times 14 Nov. 15 Lastly there is the illustration of the great principle: if you want a thing done, do it yourself.
1975 ‘E. LATHEN’ By Hook or by Crook xxi. Do you know how I got it done in the end? I went down to Annapolis myself. I always say, if you want a thing done well, do it yourself!
1998 Times 20 Jan. 7 After everything that’s happened, pregnancy was the last thing on my mind... there’s a lot to be said for the old adage that if you want a job doing properly, do it yourself.
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if you would be well served, serve yourself — Very similar to if you want a thing done well, do it yourself. 1659 G. TORRIANO English & Italian Dict. 39 Who hath a mind to any thing let him go himself. 1706 J. STEVENS Spanish & English Dict. s.v. Querer, If you would be well serv’d, serve… … Proverbs new dictionary
well — noun see let well alone adjective see the devil was sick, the devil a saint would be; the devil was well, the devil a saint was he! adverb see well begun is half done all’s well that ends well he lives long who lives well … Proverbs new dictionary
want — noun see for want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the man was lost wilful waste makes woeful want verb see if you want a thing done well, do it yourself if you want something done, ask a … Proverbs new dictionary
thing — see if a thing’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well all good things must come to an end all things are possible with God all things come to those who wait bad things come in threes the best things come in small packages … Proverbs new dictionary
thing — [[t]θɪ̱ŋ[/t]] ♦ things 1) N COUNT: usu with supp You can use thing to refer to any object, feature, or event when you cannot, need not, or do not want to refer to it more precisely. What s that thing in the middle of the fountain? Some kind of… … English dictionary
well — I [[t]we̱l[/t]] DISCOURSE USES ♦ (Well is used mainly in spoken English.) 1) ADV: ADV cl You say well to indicate that you are about to say something. Sylvia shook hands. Well, you go get yourselves some breakfast. ... Well, I don t like the look … English dictionary
well — 1 /wel/ adverb comparative better superlative best 1 SATISFACTORILY in a successful or satisfactory way: Did you sleep well? | James reads well for his age. | fairly/moderately/pretty well (=quite well) | go well (=happen in the way you planned… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs, Thematic Index — absence absence makes the heart grow fonder he who is absent is always in the wrong the best of friends must part blue are the hills that are far away distance lends enchantment to the view out of sight, out of mind … Proverbs new dictionary
do — see do as I say, not as I do do as you would be done by do right and fear no man do unto others as you would they should do unto you never do evil that good may come of it the king can do no wrong … Proverbs new dictionary
selfishness — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) Devotion to oneself Nouns 1. selfishness, self indulgence, self interest; egotism, egoism; vanity; nepotism; worldliness; egomania, megalomania; illiberality; meanness, parsimony. See malevolence. 2.… … English dictionary for students
