make hay while the sun shines
Act while favorable
Make hay while the sun shines means to take advantage of favorable conditions while they last.
The phrase comes from farming—hay must be cut and dried before rain spoils it.
Now it applies broadly to seizing any opportunity: Interest rates are low, so make hay while the sun shines.
The implication is that good conditions won't last forever.
- carpe diemGrasp the present moment
- strike while the iron is hotAct when conditions favor
- seize the dayEmbrace the present moment
- hayDried feed crop
- grasp the nettleFace a difficulty directly
opportunity · the early bird · no time like the present · capitalize · reap · productivity · harvest · transience · ephemerality · timing · immediacy · race against time · leverage · timeliness · foresight · urgency · farming · work
- farm idiomscream of the crop, put the cart before the horse, till the cows come home, buy the farm, put out to pasture
- Urgency phrasesact now, take action, act fast, now or never, seize the day
make hay while the sun shinesprocrastinate
Delay action unnecessarily
procrastination · miss the boat · drag one's feet · dilly-dally · dawdle
make hay while the sun shinesidle
Without activity or purpose
loaf · slack off · rest on one's laurels · coast · twiddle one's thumbs
making, makers, haying, sunned, sunning, sunshine, shines, shined, shiner