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A nail is driven out by another nail

Meaning: New habits, relationships, or ideas can effectively replace and eliminate old ones.

Origin: Latin proverb (Clavus clavo pellitur), used by Cicero and later by Erasmus in Adagia (1500).

Translations

  • French: Un clou chasse l'autre (literally: One nail drives out another)
  • Spanish: Un clavo saca otro clavo (literally: One nail pulls out another nail)
  • Japanese: 釘は釘で打ち出す (Kugi wa kugi de uchidasu) (literally: A nail is driven out by a nail)

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