Meaning:
Don't draw a premature conclusion based on a single fact
Background:
In Aesop's fable, a young man sees a swallow on a warm winter day. Thinking that
winter is over, he sells off his woolen coat, and with the money he's made he
goes to the bar and drinks. Unfortunately, in the days that follow the
temperature drops and the young man, shivering in the cold, realizes that one
swallow does not make a summer.
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On the other hand, people invoking the proverb can wait too long for mature
conclusions and miss the boat. It's about risk-control. One should watch out or
just skip it when risks are high, but otherwise shouldn't fear mistakes as pain,
in the right dosage, is a good teacher. Success and failures are but illusions.
Life is a continuous process of learning from (small) missteps.
