Whatever is sought for can be caught, you know, whatever is neglected slips away.

Caring about what you are doing is considered either unimportant or taken for granted.

5485. What costs little, is less esteemed.

For to speak the truth, there are but few that care thus to spend their time, but choose rather to be speaking of things to no profit.

Many things there are to know which profiteth little or nothing to the soul.

People for the most part pass by the loveliest things in life without paying attention.

Many receive advice, few profit by it.

497. Little wealth, little care.

По-малко нужди - по-малко лишения.

Of the good things they do many will pass unnoticed, or will even not be considered good at all; but they need not fear that any evil or imperfect thing they do will be overlooked.

Doing something unimportant well does not make it important.

[W]hatever is unnecessary in government is pernicious.

The most invisible form of wasted time is doing a good job on an unimportant task.

Under him everything was done with both zeal and skill. He neglected all other duties, when engaged upon these, neither omitting any part nor adding any, arguing with his companions, when they blamed him for his care about trifles, that though a man might think that heaven was merciful and forgiving of negligences, yet that habitual disregard and overlooking of such points was dangerous for the state, seeing that no one ever begins till some flagrant breach of the law to disturb the constitution, but those who are careless of accuracy in small things soon begin to neglect the most important.