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now or never
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He that will not when he may,
When he will he shall have nay.
Robert Burton (1577-1640) English scholar
Anatomy of Melancholy, Part 3, sec. 2, member 5, subsec. 5 (1621, 2nd ed.)
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Source)
Generally attributed to Burton, but the text is set as a quotation on the page. This form seems to date from c. 1450; an earlier 1303 passage goes:
He that wyl nat when he may,
He shal nat, when he wyl.
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Added on 19-Oct-22 | Last updated 19-Oct-22
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Topics: action, choice, last chance, now or never, opportunity, regrets, seize the moment
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