proverb · Traditional
Never Do Things By Halves.
The instruction rejects doing things by halves. It favours a complete or wholehearted effort over leaving an undertaking inadequately done.
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197 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional
Never say die.
Keep room for another attempt when a setback makes a worthwhile purpose seem finished. The expression encourages perseverance, without forbidding rest, changing course or accepting that an undertaking may need to end.
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No cross, no crown.
A valued reward may require accepting difficulty or sacrifice. The cross stands for hardship and the crown for the hoped-for reward.
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No journey is ever too long with good company.
A journey never too long with good company gives companionship a value in enduring or enjoying an undertaking. The saying makes the shared experience matter more than distance alone.
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No man is ever whipped until he quits in his own mind.
The saying postpones defeat until someone gives up inwardly. It treats determination as decisive in continuing an undertaking.
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No pains, no profit.
A worthwhile result may require effort or difficulty. The saying encourages commitment but overstates the connection if it treats suffering as necessary for every gain.
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No sweat, no sweet.
A worthwhile result may require sustained effort rather than expectation alone. Sweat and sweetness connect work with a hoped-for benefit, without proving that everyone who works hard will receive a fair reward.
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Of sufferance comes ease.
Bearing a temporary difficulty can sometimes lead to relief. The saying values endurance while leaving open whether tolerating the situation is actually helpful.
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One may sooner fall than rise.
A setback can happen more quickly than the work needed to reach or regain a position. The saying draws attention to that difference in effort, without making every mistake permanent or claiming that recovery is impossible.
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One must step back to make the better leap.
A temporary retreat can improve the next attempt. Stepping back may create room to prepare or reconsider rather than amounting to abandonment.
Read the explanation and example ↗quote · Unresolved attribution · printed label: Turkish
Opportunities lose not, for all delay is madness; ’Mid bitter sorrow patience show, for ’tis the key of gladness.
Act while a worthwhile opportunity is available, and meet difficulty with patience. The verse combines timely effort with endurance, but neither urgency nor patience guarantees happiness, and a necessary delay or a decision to decline can be reasonable.
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Over haste makes certain waste.
Rushing too much can create mistakes that waste the time or resources you hoped to save. A controlled pace may complete a task more efficiently.
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Patience heals the broken bone.
Patience described as healing a broken bone gives recovery an image of time and endurance. The saying values allowing a process to unfold.
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Patience is a flower that grows not in every one's garden.
Patience is valuable but not equally available in every person or situation. Recognise the effort it may require instead of assuming that everyone can wait calmly under the same pressure.
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Patience is a plaister for all sores.
Patience can soften the discomfort of delay or difficulty. The plaster image presents it as a help, while the claim that it treats every sore is an exaggeration.
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Patience is a virtue.
The saying calls patience a virtue. It values the ability to wait or persist without an impulsive response.
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Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit.
Bitter patience producing sweet fruit contrasts an unpleasant wait with a hoped-for benefit. The saying gives perseverance an image of later value.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Patience is the virtue of asses.
Enduring every burden without question is not always a virtue. Distinguish useful patience from submission that allows an avoidable or harmful situation to continue.
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Patience yields a rose.
Patience yielding a rose gives waiting a valued outcome through a growth image. The saying encourages persistence with a pleasing possibility.
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Perseverance kills the game.
Sustained effort can bring an elusive task to completion. The hunting image presents the desired result as something reached through persistence.
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Perseverance performs greater works than strength.
The saying gives perseverance greater achievements than strength. It values sustained effort more highly than power alone.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Pills must be swallowed without chewing.
Some unavoidable unpleasant experiences are easier to complete than to prolong. The bitter pill supplies a metaphor for dealing with a difficult but necessary task.
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Rain before seven, clear before eleven.
The saying places rain before seven and clearing before eleven. It promises a quick improvement through a memorable morning timetable.
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Reconcile yourself to present trials, the future may bring worse.
The saying encourages bearing a present difficulty by imagining a worse one ahead. A careful reading keeps perspective without making future fear a reason to tolerate harm.
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