Chinese proverb — The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.Chinese proverb
Traditional proverb
Regret would keep you staring at the missing twenty years. The proverb refuses that. Yes, earlier would have been better — and now is the next best moment there will ever be.
If you wish you had started English sooner, you are half right. You cannot plant in the past. But today is the second-best day in your whole life to begin, and it is available.
Words that widen the world
To put a seed or tree in the ground to grow.
Synonyms: sow, seed, establish
The best time to plant was years ago; the next is now.
To start doing or being something.
Synonyms: start, commence, initiate
The second-best time to begin is today.
Common questions
It means although the ideal time to start something was long ago, the next best time is right now — so begin without waiting.
It is a widely quoted proverb, commonly described as Chinese; we mark it as attributed.
Carry it with you
In your own words, what does this thought mean to you? Write three or four sentences in English about a moment when it felt true — saying it yourself is how it stays with you.
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