Meaning:
This proverbial saying suggest that, if you try and do something quickly you
will make mistakes and take longer in the end.
Background:
This proverbial saying is found in John Heywood's 1546 glossary ``A Dialogue
conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the Prouerbes in the Englishe
tongue:[sic]''
Moste tymes he seeth, the more haste the lesse spede.
- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]
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``Slow is smooth and smooth is fast'' is common knowledge in jiu-jitsu. I think
it's also the mindset for long-distance running. Only recently, I saw it in my
highschooler's calculus practices.
Always pressed for time, he rushed his pencil yet left the terms unsimplified.
Intermediate results built up every iteration and easily tripped him up. Missing
a sign when copying, for example, was as common as it was vexing. Trying to
help, I lost my cool once and had to apologize.
We had since followed the good old method of repetition, by going over and again
through the mistakes. Once the feared enemies became familiar, he could take a
calming breath, slow down, fix his bad habits, and finally speed up.
