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 as shown here: phrase first, meaning 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 answerAnything worthwhile takes longer than you would like.
Rome was not built in a day.
“We’re six months in and it barely works yet.” — “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Meaning, origin and more examples →A consistent pace beats bursts of speed.
Slow and steady wins the race.
“She revised an hour a night all term and sailed through — slow and steady wins the race.”
A failed attempt is a reason to repeat, not to stop.
If at first you do not succeed, try, try again.
“That’s his third driving test.” — “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
Skill comes from repetition, not from talent alone.
Practice makes perfect.
“Your accent is already better after a month — practice makes perfect.”
Someone determined enough will find a method.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
“He taught himself the whole syllabus from library books. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Real progress costs discomfort.
No pain, no gain.
“My legs are wrecked after that session.” — “No pain, no gain.”
Small repeated effort eventually beats hard resistance.
Constant dropping wears away a stone.
“She raised it at every meeting for a year until they funded it — constant dropping wears away a stone.”
Modest repeated efforts bring down big obstacles.
Little strokes fell great oaks.
“Two pages a day is nothing, but little strokes fell great oaks.”
Difficulty is where determined people start to show.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
“Half the team quit that week and she doubled down — when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
Even a bad situation has something good in it.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
“Losing that contract freed us for a better one. Every cloud has a silver lining.”
Things often feel worst just before they improve.
It is always darkest before the dawn.
“Week three of the rebuild was miserable, but it’s always darkest before the dawn.”
What counts is getting up one more time than you fall.
Fall down seven times, stand up eight.
“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 →