Doing badly what should not be attempted?

[Joel S. Berson]

The following has provoked neurons, but not sufficiently:

"It's sad  watching a child do badly what a child should not attempt
to do at all."

Is there a well-known antecedent, and spoken by whom? It's not, of
course,  "Either do not attempt at all, or go through with it."--Ovid.

Joel

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