🗣️ Saudi Arabia: “Time is like a sword: if you do not cut it, it cuts you”

Arabic proverb · Asia

الوقت كالسيف إن لم تقطعه قطعك

al-waqtu ka-s-sayf, in lam taqṭaʿhu qaṭaʿak

“Time is like a sword: if you do not cut it, it cuts you”

Time is unforgiving — master it or it will waste you.

About this proverb

Origin country	Saudi Arabia
Region	Asia
Language	Arabic
Romanisation	al-waqtu ka-s-sayf, in lam taqṭaʿhu qaṭaʿak

This saying belongs to the oral tradition of Saudi Arabia, a country in Asia. Read the full collection of Saudi Arabia proverbs, or explore the Proverbs of the World index.

Proverbs are traditional folk heritage (public domain); the translation and explanation are our own plain-English rendering. Stored statically.

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