"Procrastination is opportunity's assassin"
About this Quote
“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin” lands like a boardroom slogan, but it’s sharper than the usual hustle poster because it frames delay as violence. Not a harmless habit, not a quirky personality trait: an active killing of something alive and time-sensitive. Kiam, a businessman best known for turning Remington into a brand story (“I liked the shaver so much...”), understood that markets reward timing as much as talent. The line isn’t really about to-do lists; it’s about the brutal math of competition, where waiting doesn’t preserve possibilities, it erodes them.
The intent is motivational, yes, but also managerial. Calling procrastination an “assassin” externalizes the enemy, turning inner hesitation into a threat that can be confronted. It’s a neat psychological trick: you’re not merely “putting it off,” you’re letting something stalk your future. That urgency mirrors late-20th-century corporate culture, where speed, decisiveness, and first-mover advantage were elevated into virtues, sometimes at the expense of reflection.
The subtext is a quiet defense of action over perfection. Opportunity, in Kiam’s world, is fickle: a window that closes, a deal that goes to someone bolder, a product launch that misses the moment. The line also flatters the listener’s agency. If opportunity can be murdered, it must have been yours to begin with. That’s the appeal: a harsh metaphor that still offers control, as long as you move before hesitation pulls the trigger.
The intent is motivational, yes, but also managerial. Calling procrastination an “assassin” externalizes the enemy, turning inner hesitation into a threat that can be confronted. It’s a neat psychological trick: you’re not merely “putting it off,” you’re letting something stalk your future. That urgency mirrors late-20th-century corporate culture, where speed, decisiveness, and first-mover advantage were elevated into virtues, sometimes at the expense of reflection.
The subtext is a quiet defense of action over perfection. Opportunity, in Kiam’s world, is fickle: a window that closes, a deal that goes to someone bolder, a product launch that misses the moment. The line also flatters the listener’s agency. If opportunity can be murdered, it must have been yours to begin with. That’s the appeal: a harsh metaphor that still offers control, as long as you move before hesitation pulls the trigger.
Quote Details
| Topic | Self-Discipline |
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