He who sleeps does not catch fish — idleness and inaction produce nothing. Success requires being awake, alert, and active at the right moment.
The lakes and rivers of Lombardy — Como, Maggiore, Iseo, Garda, the Adda, the Ticino — have always been sources of food and livelihood. The freshwater fisherman knew that the best fishing was at dawn and at dusk, when the fish were near the surface and the light was right. A fisherman who slept through the dawn caught nothing. The proverb extended from the waterside to the marketplace: the merchant who was not at his counter when the customers passed lost the sale; the farmer who was not in the fields at planting time lost the season. In Milanese business culture it became a counsel of alertness: the market does not wait, the opportunity does not knock twice, the competitor does not rest. Get up early and work — or the fish will be in someone else's net.
Lombard proverb from the lake and river fishing culture of the región. Lakes Como, Maggiore, Iseo, and Garda have sustained fishing communities since antiquity.
A Lombard fisherman on Lake Como at 4am
— Perché dobbiamo partire così presto? — Chi dorma non pesca i pess. Alle sei il lago è già finito.
— ¿Por qué hay que salir tan pronto? — Quien duerme no pesca. A las seis el lago ya está acabado.
A Milanese market trader opening at 5am
I clienti migliori vengono alle sei. Chi dorma non pesca i pess — il mio concorrente è già qui dalle quattro e mezza.
Los mejores clientes vienen a las seis. Quien duerme no pesca — mi competidor lleva aquí desde las cuatro y media.
A Milanese startup founder on first-mover advantage
Eravamo gli unici nel settore. Ma chi dorma non pesca i pess — adesso ce ne sono venti e il mercato è saturo.
Éramos los únicos en el sector. Pero quien duerme no pesca — ahora hay veinte y el mercado está saturado.
A Lombard grandmother waking lazy grandchildren
— Sono le otto, lasciaci dormire. — Chi dorma non pesca i pess. Alzatevi, c'è il lavoro nei campi.
— Son las ocho, dejadnos dormir. — Quien duerme no pesca. Levantaos, hay trabajo en los campos.