Look before you leap

This everyday expression means be cautious before you enter into a new situation.
The expression comes from one of Aesop’s Fables, ‘The Fox and the Goat’. Aesop lived between c. 620-560 BCE.

A fox fell into a shallow well, but was unable to climb out, and found himself trapped for a long time.
A Goat came by and seeing the water, asked the fox if it was drinkable. The fox told the Goat it was the best he had ever tasted and invited the goat to join him.
As soon as the goat jumped into the well, the fox leapt on his back and using horns, leaped out of the well.
The goat pleaded with the fox to help him out, but the fox laughed and ran off saying that if the goat had as many brains as he had hairs in his beard, he wouldn’t have jumped in without checking his way out first.
The moral of the fable is look before you leap.