take the cash and let the credit go

== English == === Proverb === take the cash and let the credit go Exploit and enjoy the opportunities and pleasures available here and now and do not invest effort pursuing prospective future gratifications. 1913, Josiah Royce, in Introduction to The Foundations of Science by Henri Poincaré, authorized translation by George Bruce Halsted, (text at Project Gutenberg): Why not "take the cash and let the credit go"? Why pursue the elusive theoretical "unification" any further, when what we daily get from our sciences is an increasing wealth of detailed information and of practical guidance? 1977, Philip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly (2011 edition), →ISBN, Author's Note (Google preview): "Take the cash and let the credit go," as Villon said in 1460. But that is a mistake if the cash is a penny and the credit a whole lifetime. ==== Synonyms ==== carpe diem gather rosebuds seize the day === See also === a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush better an egg today than a hen tomorrow