A good beginning makes a good ending

Meaning: How you start something largely determines how it will finish; preparation and intention matter.

Origin: English proverb from John Heywood's 1546 collection, echoing Latin and Greek wisdom on preparation.

Translations

• French: Bien commencer, c'est à moitié réussir (literally: Beginning well is half the success)
• Spanish: Un buen comienzo hace un buen final (literally: A good beginning makes a good ending)
• Japanese: 始まりよければ終わりよし (Hajimari yokereba owari yoshi) (literally: If the beginning is good, the ending is good)

← Back to Proverbs

Loading the full interactive collection…