proverb · Traditional
Rome wasn't built in a day.
The saying denies that Rome was built in one day. As an analogy, a substantial undertaking may require sustained time and effort.
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197 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional
Seek till you find, and you'll lose no labour.
Continuing a search can make earlier effort useful when something worthwhile is found. The saying encourages persistence, without guaranteeing success or making it wrong to stop an unproductive search.
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Sleep on it; the pillow is the best counsellor.
When a decision can wait, step away and reconsider it after a pause. Distance from the immediate pressure may help you see the options more clearly.
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Slow and steady wins the race.
The saying gives victory to slow, steady progress. It favours sustained attention over relying on bursts of speed alone.
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Slow and sure.
A steady pace can make room for dependable progress. The saying values care over mere speed, without proving that slow work is always accurate or that a prompt response cannot be well considered.
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Slow but sure.
The phrase pairs slow progress with sure progress. It values dependability over speed in a particular undertaking.
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Slow fire makes sweet malt.
A measured pace can suit work that needs time to develop. The slow-fire image values an appropriate process over haste, without establishing a brewing instruction or implying that delay is always better than timely action.
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Sometimes there is nothing you can do but let it rain and wait for the sunshine.
The saying allows rain to continue when nothing can be done and waits for sunshine. As an analogy, some difficulties cannot be immediately changed.
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Starting is easy, persistence is an art.
The saying calls starting easy and persistence an art. It values sustaining an undertaking beyond its initial impulse.
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Step after step the ladder is ascended.
A larger task can be approached through successive manageable steps. Notice progress through the sequence, without assuming that repetition alone will reach every goal.
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Step by step the ladder is climbed.
A larger task can be approached through successive manageable stages. The ladder image values gradual progress, without promising that every sequence leads to the intended result or that a person must keep advancing without rest.
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Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
The saying treats success and failure as stages rather than final verdicts. It gives courage to continue greater importance than either result.
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Tall oaks grow from little acorns.
The saying grows tall oaks from little acorns. It encourages attention to the possible value of a modest beginning.
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The course of love never did run smooth.
The saying pictures love as a course that never runs smoothly. It presents obstacles as part of a journey rather than evidence that affection is automatically absent.
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The darkest hour is before the dawn.
The saying puts the darkest hour before dawn. As an analogy, it offers hope that severe difficulty may precede a change.
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The darkest night brings the brightest dawn.
The saying makes the darkest night bring the brightest dawn. It offers hope through a contrast between severe difficulty and relief.
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The devil is not always at one door.
Trouble is pictured as moving between different doors rather than remaining in one place. The saying can express hope that a difficulty will pass, but it should not promise relief on a schedule or encourage satisfaction when someone else suffers.
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The dogs bark but the caravan moves on.
The saying keeps a caravan moving while dogs bark. As an analogy, an undertaking can continue despite criticism or noise around it.
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The first pancake is always a failure.
The saying makes the first pancake always fail. It portrays an initial attempt as less satisfactory than what practice may produce.
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The greatest number is made up of units.
A large total consists of smaller contributions. The units image makes the importance of individual parts visible within an impressive whole.
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The Heaven is at the bottom of patience.
Heaven placed at the bottom of patience presents perseverance as a route toward a highly valued outcome. The spatial image gives patience depth and purpose.
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The longest day must have an end.
Even a period that feels exceptionally long or difficult will pass. The saying offers patience by reminding you that the present strain is not the whole future.
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The longest journey begins with the first step.
The saying makes a first step necessary even for the longest journey. It connects an ambitious destination with the immediate act of setting out.
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The longest mile is the last mile home.
The saying calls the final mile home the longest. It describes how anticipation or fatigue can make the end of a journey feel extended.
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