--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A well-worn adage advises those who set…" description: "\"A well-worn adage advises those who set out upon a great enterprise to count the cost, yet some of the greatest enterprises have succeeded because the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/thomas-huxley-1183_adages_a-well-worn-adage-advises-those-who-set_809426.png" --- # A well-worn adage advises those who set out upon a great… ![“A well-worn adage advises those who set out upon a great enterprise to count the cost, yet some of the greatest enterprises have succeeded because the people who undertook them did not count the cost.” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/thomas-huxley-1183_adages_a-well-worn-adage-advises-those-who-set_809426.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/thomas-huxley-1183_adages_a-well-worn-adage-advises-those-who-set_809426.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/thomas-huxley-1183_adages_a-well-worn-adage-advises-those-who-set_809426.png) > “A well-worn adage advises those who set out upon a great enterprise to count the cost, yet some of the greatest enterprises have succeeded because the people who undertook them did not count the cost.” [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great ventures often ignore costs, yet risk can lead to breakthrough successes. **In simple terms:** Risk-taking can outweigh careful planning. Key Takeaway Embrace calculated risk for innovation. Themes risk innovation enterprise cost assessment Mood cautious optimistic Type strategic motivational When to use this quote - startup launch - investment decision - project planning Key Concepts economics strategy entrepreneurship Questions to Reflect On - When is it justified to ignore costs? - How do you mitigate risks while staying bold? A Different Perspective Ignoring costs can cause failure or harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adage Advises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adage-advises-236714/) [Adages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adages/) [Advise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advise/) [Advises Set](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advises-set-236718/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Enterprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enterprise/) [Enterprises Succeeded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enterprises-succeeded-236717/) [Great Enterprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-enterprise-236716/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Worn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worn/) [Worn Adage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worn-adage-236715/) ## Related quotes > [In actual life, every great enterprise begins with and takes its first forward step in faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/in-actual-life-every-great-enterprise-begins-with-and-takes-its-first-2/) [August Wilhelm von Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/) > [The man who has no vision will undertake no great enterprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-man-who-has-no-vision-will-undertake-no-great-enterprise/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [“ In actual life, every great enterprise begins with and takes its first step forward in faith. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/in-actual-life-every-great-enterprise-begins-with-and-takes-its-first/) [August Wilhelm von Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/) > [When you delve deep enough, you find that practically every great fortune and great enterprise in America have sprung from the courageous enterprise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/when-you-delve-deep-enough-you-find-that-practically-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Any enterprise of your own is a great enterprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-becker/any-enterprise-of-your-own-is-a-great-enterprise/) [Josh Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-becker/) > [The saying that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing is, to my mind, a very dangerous adage. If knowledge is real and genuine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/the-saying-that-a-little-knowledge-is-a-dangerous-thing-is-to-my-mind/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [There's an adage that a lot of coaches have, that I completely disagree with, is if you make the Olympic team too early you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-coughlin/there-s-an-adage-that-a-lot-of-coaches-have-that-i-completely/) [Natalie Coughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-coughlin/) > [Something happens when your subconscious goes to work... That's why 'Sleep on it' is an adage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-voight/something-happens-when-your-subconscious-goes-to-work-that-s-why/) [Jon Voight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-voight/) > [If you need somebody you can trust, trust yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/if-you-need-somebody-you-can-trust-trust-yourself/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Another lesson about a naive fool who came to Babylon, and found out that the pie don't taste so sweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-yoakam/another-lesson-about-a-naive-fool-who-came-to-babylon-and-found-out/) [Dwight Yoakam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-yoakam/) > [Wise is the tongue, wet of perfect thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-francis/wise-is-the-tongue-wet-of-perfect-thought/) [Black Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-francis/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [It’s not just the adage ‘write what you know,’ it’s about gathering up all of the knowledge and experience you’ve collected up to now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/it-s-not-just-the-adage-write-what-you-know-it-s-about-gathering-up/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) ## More by Thomas Huxley > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [There is nothing of permanent value (putting aside a few human affections) nothing that satisfies quiet reflection--except the sense of having worked according to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/there-is-nothing-of-permanent-value-putting-aside-a-few-human/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Economy does not lie in sparing money, but in spending it wisely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/economy-does-not-lie-in-sparing-money-but-in-spending-it-wisely/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [It is not to be forgotten that what we call rational grounds for our beliefs are often extremely irrational attempts to justify our instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/it-is-not-to-be-forgotten-that-what-we-call-rational-grounds-for-our/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Only a scientific people can survive in a scientific future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/only-a-scientific-people-can-survive-in-a-scientific-future/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Our reverence for the nobility of manhood will not be lessened by the knowledge that man is in substance and in structure, one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/our-reverence-for-the-nobility-of-manhood-will-not-be-lessened-by-the/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [In science, as in art, and, as I believe, in every other sphere of human activity, there may be wisdom in a multitude of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/in-science-as-in-art-and-as-i-believe-in-every-other-sphere-of-human/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Science is simply common sense at its best, that is, rigidly accurate in observation, and merciless to fallacy in logic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/science-is-simply-common-sense-at-its-best-that-is-rigidly-accurate/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Oh devil! truth is better than much profit. I have searched over the grounds of my belief, and if wife and child and name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/oh-devil-truth-is-better-than-much-profit-i-have-searched-over-the/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Let us have "sweet girl graduates" by all means. They will be none the less sweet for a little wisdom; and the "golden hair"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/let-us-have-sweet-girl-graduates-by-all-means-they-will-be-none-the/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [In matters of the intellect, do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable. That I take to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/in-matters-of-the-intellect-do-not-pretend-that-conclusions-are/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [And you very soon find out, if you have not found it out before, that patience and tenacity of purpose are worth more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/and-you-very-soon-find-out-if-you-have-not-found-it-out-before-that/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [No one who has lived in the world as long as you & I have, can entertain the pious delusion that it is engineered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/no-one-who-has-lived-in-the-world-as-long-as-you-i-have-can-entertain/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Mix salt and sand, and it shall puzzle the wisest of men, with his mere natural appliances, to separate all the grains of sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/mix-salt-and-sand-and-it-shall-puzzle-the-wisest-of-men-with-his-mere/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [What are the moral convictions most fondly held by barbarous and semi-barbarous people? They are the convictions that authority is the soundest basis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/what-are-the-moral-convictions-most-fondly-held-by-barbarous-and-semi/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) [Explore all 278 Thomas Huxley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) ## More Adages quotes > [It’s not just the adage ‘write what you know,’ it’s about gathering up all of the knowledge and experience you’ve collected up to now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/it-s-not-just-the-adage-write-what-you-know-it-s-about-gathering-up/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Wise is the tongue, wet of perfect thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-francis/wise-is-the-tongue-wet-of-perfect-thought/) [Black Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-francis/) > [Another lesson about a naive fool who came to Babylon, and found out that the pie don't taste so sweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-yoakam/another-lesson-about-a-naive-fool-who-came-to-babylon-and-found-out/) [Dwight Yoakam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-yoakam/) > [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [If you need somebody you can trust, trust yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/if-you-need-somebody-you-can-trust-trust-yourself/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Something happens when your subconscious goes to work... That's why 'Sleep on it' is an adage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-voight/something-happens-when-your-subconscious-goes-to-work-that-s-why/) [Jon Voight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-voight/) > [There's an adage that a lot of coaches have, that I completely disagree with, is if you make the Olympic team too early you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-coughlin/there-s-an-adage-that-a-lot-of-coaches-have-that-i-completely/) [Natalie Coughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-coughlin/) > [An ancient adage warns, "Never go to sea with two chronometers; take one or three."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-brooks/an-ancient-adage-warns-never-go-to-sea-with-two-chronometers-take-one/) [Fred Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-brooks/) > [Don't judge the picture by the frame, every man is not the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/don-t-judge-the-picture-by-the-frame-every-man-is-not-the-same/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [Failure isn't failure if a lesson from it's learned. I guess love would not be love without a risk of being burned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-brooks/failure-isn-t-failure-if-a-lesson-from-it-s-learned-i-guess-love/) [Garth Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-brooks/) > [When you have everything, you have everything to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-harper/when-you-have-everything-you-have-everything-to-lose/) [Ben Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-harper/) > [As the old African adage says, 'everybody skin to me ain't kin to me'. So you can't exclusively make that the criteria of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/as-the-old-african-adage-says-everybody-skin-to-me-ain-t-kin-to-me-so/) [T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/) > [Fool you once, you are forgiven. Fool you twice, you're just a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-chapin-carpenter/fool-you-once-you-are-forgiven-fool-you-twice-you-re-just-a-fool/) [Mary Chapin Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-chapin-carpenter/) [Browse all 340 Adages quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adages/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A well-worn adage advises those who set out upon a great enterprise to count the cost, yet some of the greatest enterprises have succeeded because the people who undertook them did not count the cost.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Huxley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/a-well-worn-adage-advises-those-who-set-out-upon-a-great-enterprise/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adages" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/a-well-worn-adage-advises-those-who-set-out-upon-a-great-enterprise/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/thomas-huxley-1183_adages_a-well-worn-adage-advises-those-who-set_809426.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/thomas-huxley-1183_adages_a-well-worn-adage-advises-those-who-set_809426.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/thomas-huxley-1183_adages_a-well-worn-adage-advises-those-who-set_809426.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A well-worn adage advises those who set out upon a great enterprise to count the cost, yet some of the…” — Thomas Huxley", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Thomas Huxley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A well-worn adage advises those who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/a-well-worn-adage-advises-those-who-set-out-upon-a-great-enterprise/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/a-well-worn-adage-advises-those-who-set-out-upon-a-great-enterprise/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```