Proverb for when one person sees something, but someone else takes it [closed]
Is there a proverb that fits the following situation:
John and Anderson (while walking):
John: [sees a $100 bill lying in the road, and shouts] Yahoo! $100!
Anderson: [takes the money and puts it into his pocket]
Reflection: John exclaimed when he saw the money in the road, but he didn't try to take it. Anderson was smarter, as, when he saw John exclaiming, he took the money and put it into his pocket. Consequently, John now repents his foolish excitement.
My question is, is there a proverb for such situations?
EDIT: When I asked my friend, he suggested the following saying:
"Some feel the rain others just get wet."
Solution 1:
you snooze, you lose
informal
if you do not pay attention and do something quickly, someone else will do it instead of you:
Cambridge DictionaryIf you wait too long to do something, that opportunity might become unavailable.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms
John: Yahoo! $100!
(Anderson takes the money)
John: Hey, I saw it first!
Anderson: You snooze, you lose.
Solution 2:
There are several possible sayings:
Actions speak louder than words.
[Cambridge Dictionary]
said to emphasize that what you do is more important and shows your intentions and feelings more clearly than what you say
The early bird catches the worm.
[Cambridge Dictionary]
said to advise someone that they will have an advantage if they do something immediately or before anyone else does it
He who hesitates is lost.
[Merriam-Webster]
—used to say that it is important to make decisions and do things in a quick and definite way
// I took my time and when I got to the store, they were all sold out. I guess "he who hesitates is lost."
Solution 3:
Strike while the iron is hot.
This proverb advises you to act decisively and take advantage of an opportunity when it first presents itself. By waiting (as slow-witted John did) you risk losing your chance.
The meaning is derived from the work of a blacksmith. In order to shape iron, the smith has to strike it while it is glowing hot and malleable. If he waits too long and it cools down, it can’t be hammered or bent into a new shape. His opportunity has been lost.
Solution 4:
Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.
It means, don't celebrate a victory that hasn't happened yet. It comes from the fact that not every chicken egg hatches out a chick. So if you count your future chickens from the number of eggs you have, you'll likely be overestimating.
It's very common in the US, and often used for just this type of situation. Also, with the same meaning (and likewise bird-themed)
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
In this case, the $100 is the bird in the hand. $100 in your hand is worth $200 on the ground...
Solution 5:
One very common, albiet obnoxious phrase would be:
Finders, keepers; Losers, weepers
While this generally relates to the idea that once you find something that appears to be unowned - it is now your property - and not necessarily the idea of missing out on something, because you were too slow to act on it. It's such a common phrase in childhood, that it can be applied obnoxiously to imply "now that I've picked it up, it's mine - you cannot complain about it".
In this case, the one who picked it up first would consider themself the "Finder" and the one who lost out on it (the original owner, and the person who was too slow to pick it up) would be considered the "Loser".
Again, it's not a perfect phrase for this situation, but it is such a common idiom that it does get applied frequently to these kind of situations.