if you want a thing done well/right, do it yourself
proverb A phrase warning against delegating tasks to others because they will often do them wrong. Geez, this report is a total mess. I guess it's true what they say—if you want a thing done well, do it yourself. Yet another dreadful meal from this new chef, ugh. I guess it's true what they say—if you want a thing done right, do it yourself. Look at this shoddy paint job. Tsk, if you want a thing done well, do it yourself!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.
Prov. You cannot rely on other people to do things properly for you. (Sometimes right is used instead of well.) I asked my son to chop the vegetables for me, but he's cut them into chunks too small to use. I should have known: if you want a thing done well, do it yourself. Laura wouldn't trust professional auto mechanics, and so did all her own car repair. "If you want something done right, do it yourself," she said.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.