Count your chickens before they hatch
Meaning
Do not make plans that depend on a future good event until that event has actually occurred.
Origin
The cautionary wisdom of "Count your chickens before they hatch" traces its roots back to the timeless fables of Aesop, specifically the tale of "The Milkmaid and Her Pail." In this ancient Greek narrative, a young milkmaid daydreams of all the wealth she will accrue by selling her milk, then the eggs from the chickens she'll buy, and then the fancy clothes she'll wear. Lost in her elaborate fantasies of future prosperity, she tosses her head, accidentally spilling the very pail of milk that was the foundation of all her imagined riches. The story serves as a vivid warning against premature celebration and planning, a moral lesson that has resonated through the centuries.
Examples
- She started buying baby clothes and decorating a nursery, but her mother wisely told her not to count her chickens before they hatch.
- I wouldn't celebrate winning the lottery just yet; it's unwise to count your chickens before they hatch.