early bird catches the worm

[early bird catches the worm] or [early bird gets the worm] Aperson who gets up early in the morning has the best chance ofsucceeding; if you arrive early or are quicker, you get ahead ofothers. - A proverb.

When Billy's father woke him up for school hesaid, "The early bird catches the worm."

Charles began looking fora summer job in January; he knows that the early bird gets the worm.

Compare: FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED.