opportunity knocks but once
opportunity knocks but once
proverb Great opportunities are typically only encountered once. The phrase implies that one risks losing them forever if one does not act quickly and seize them right away. Opportunity knocks but once—if you don't accept the job in Japan now, you'll never go! A: "I'm nervous about committing to grad school. I know it would open all sorts of doors for me, but I'd have to move away from all my friends and family." B: "Opportunity knocks but once, dude. You'll always regret it if you don't go for it."
See also: but, knock, once, opportunity
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
Opportunity knocks but once
.Prov. You will only have one chance to do something important or profitable. (You can say opportunity knocks to signal that someone's chance to do something important is here right now.) When Nancy got a scholarship offer from a college far away, her parents encouraged her to go, even though they didn't like the thought of her moving so far from home. "Opportunity knocks but once," they said, "and this may be your only chance to get a good education."
See also: but, knock, once, opportunity
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
- as one door closes, another (one) opens
- as one door closes, another one opens
- as one door closes, another opens
- give (someone) an inch and (someone) (will) take a mile
- give (someone) an inch and (someone) (will) take a yard
- drive (one) out of office
- force (one) out of office
- force out of office
- give head
- give somebody their head