三思而后行

　　Look before you leap
    
　　A fox tumbled into a water tank and could not get o ut. Along came a thirsty goat, and seeing the fox asked him if the water was good. The fox jumped at the chance . He sang the praises of the water with all the eloquen ce at his command and urged the goat to come down. The goat was so thirsty that he went doen without stopping to think and drank his full.
    
　　Then they began to consider how they were to get up again. "i have a good idea," said the fox, "that is, if you are willing to do something to help us both. Be so kind as to place your forefeet against the wall and hol d your horns straight up. Then i can nip up, and pull y ou up too." The goat was glad enough to comply. The fox clamberd nimbly over his haunches shoulders, and horns, reached the edge of the tank, and began to make off. Th e goat complained that he had broken their compact. But he only came back to say, "you have more hairs in your beard than brains in your head, my friend. Otherwise, y ou wouldn't have gone down without thinking how you wer e going to get up."
    
　　A sensible man never embarks on an enterprise until he can see his way clear to the end of it.