He who pays early pays twice. Doing something too soon, before the right moment, is wasteful — it must be done again. Timing and patience are as important as willingness to act.
This proverb reflects the Sicilian suspicion of haste. In agricultural life, timing governed everything: plant too early and the frost kills the crop; harvest too soon and the fruit is worthless; speak too quickly in a negotiation and you reveal your hand. The proverb was used in market contexts — a merchant who rushed to settle a debt before a better price appeared, a farmer who paid for irrigation before the rains failed — but also in social ones. Rushing to apologise before truly understanding an offence, offering help before it is wanted, intervening in a conflict before it has matured: all of these were forms of double payment. The Sicilian preference for waiting, for letting situations develop and reveal themselves, is embedded in this proverb. It is not laziness but strategy — the cultivation of the right moment.
Rooted in Sicilian mercantile and agricultural culture; related to the broader southern Italian caution about the cost of premature action.
Advising a young businessman not to settle a contract too quickly
Non firmare ancora — aspetta che abbassino il prezzo. Cu para prima, para dui voti. Hanno bisogno di vendere quanto tu hai bisogno di comprare.
Do not sign yet — wait for them to lower the price. He who pays early pays twice. They need to sell as much as you need to buy.
A mother stopping her son from apologising prematurely after a fight
Aspetta. Non correrci adesso. Cu para prima, para dui voti — lascia che lui pensi un po', poi parlerete.
Wait. Do not run to him now. He who pays early pays twice — let him think a little, then you will talk.
A farmer who planted too early and lost his seedlings
Ho messo i pomodori a febbraio. Poi è arrivato il freddo e ho perso tutto. Cu para prima, para dui voti — adesso devo ricomprare le piantine.
I put in the tomatoes in February. Then the cold came and I lost everything. He who pays early pays twice — now I have to buy the seedlings again.
Applied to giving advice before someone is ready to hear it
Gli ho dato un consiglio quando non me lo aveva chiesto. Non l'ha ascoltato e poi ha sbagliato lo stesso. Cu para prima, para dui voti — gli dovevo dire la stessa cosa una seconda volta.
I gave him advice when he had not asked for it. He did not listen and then made the same mistake. He who pays early pays twice — I had to tell him the same thing a second time.