You cannot lose what you never had

you can't lose what you never had

proverb You should not be angry, anxious, or upset about the loss of something if it was only ever a wish, ideal, or hypothetical concept to begin with. A: "Doesn't it make you angry that the company keeps control over the thing you wrote?" B: "Not really. It's always been this way. You can't lose what you never had." I don't know why you're so worried that doing this will make you seem uncool or unpopular. You can't lose what you never had, after all! A: "Hey, I'm sorry to hear your blind date stood you up." B: "Ah, it's OK. You can't lose what you never had."

See also: lose, never, what

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

You cannot lose what you never had.

Prov. You should have not lost something if you only wished that you had it to begin with. Bill: I've lost Mary. She's gotten engaged to Tom. Fred: But, Bill, Mary was never your girlfriend. You can't lose what you never had.

See also: cannot, lose, never, what

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.