Keeping Going
“Rome wasn’t built in a day”, “Slow and steady wins the race”, “Constant dropping wears away a stone”: this is the vocabulary of the long middle, when the work has stopped being interesting and is not yet nearly done. Almost all of them argue the same case — that small repeated effort beats a burst of enthusiasm — which is why English keeps so many versions of it.
Practice this set for free — no account needed. Loads 12 flashcards into the learner. The learner asks it the other way round: meaning first, phrase second.
Practice in the free learnerHow to study this set
Ask of each one whether it is aimed at someone impatient with a task or someone impatient with themselves. “Rome wasn’t built in a day” excuses the pace of the work; “If at first you don’t succeed” excuses the person. Using the wrong one sounds like you missed the point.
All 12 flashcards
Swap question and answerRome was not built in a day.
Anything worthwhile takes longer than you would like.
“We’re six months in and it barely works yet.” — “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Meaning, origin and more examples →Slow and steady wins the race.
A consistent pace beats bursts of speed.
“She revised an hour a night all term and sailed through — slow and steady wins the race.”
If at first you do not succeed, try, try again.
A failed attempt is a reason to repeat, not to stop.
“That’s his third driving test.” — “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
Practice makes perfect.
Skill comes from repetition, not from talent alone.
“Your accent is already better after a month — practice makes perfect.”
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Someone determined enough will find a method.
“He taught himself the whole syllabus from library books. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
No pain, no gain.
Real progress costs discomfort.
“My legs are wrecked after that session.” — “No pain, no gain.”
Constant dropping wears away a stone.
Small repeated effort eventually beats hard resistance.
“She raised it at every meeting for a year until they funded it — constant dropping wears away a stone.”
Little strokes fell great oaks.
Modest repeated efforts bring down big obstacles.
“Two pages a day is nothing, but little strokes fell great oaks.”
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Difficulty is where determined people start to show.
“Half the team quit that week and she doubled down — when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Even a bad situation has something good in it.
“Losing that contract freed us for a better one. Every cloud has a silver lining.”
It is always darkest before the dawn.
Things often feel worst just before they improve.
“Week three of the rebuild was miserable, but it’s always darkest before the dawn.”
Fall down seven times, stand up eight.
What counts is getting up one more time than you fall.
“Her fourth company is finally working. Fall down seven times, stand up eight.”
Meaning, origin and more examples →What to learn next
Next: the proverbs about doing the job properly.
Continue to Level 3: Doing It Properly →