Blessed is the Second mouse for he shall inherit the Cheese.

This aphorism is a comic inversion of the Beatitude “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth,” recast as a parable about timing and risk. The “first mouse” triggers the trap or danger; the “second mouse” benefits from the first mover’s misfortune and gains the reward (“the cheese”). As a piece of folk wisdom, it cautions against rushing to be first and suggests that patience, observation, and learning from others’ mistakes can be safer than bold initiative. It is often used in business or strategy contexts to argue for fast-following rather than pioneering when the costs of being first are high.