Meaning: One should not dispose of something that is not already in one’s possession.
French: Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué.
Origins: This saying comes from Aesop’s fable The Milkmaid and Her Pail in which a milkmaid becomes so obsessed with the potential outcome of her current endeavours that she drops the pail of milk on which her hopes are based, dashing her plans. As is the case for this fable, the renowned fabulist Jean de La Fontaine drew his inspiration from Aesop’s Two Travellers and a Bear which served as a foundation for the French saying.