Every dog has its day
Meaning: Everyone will have their moment of success or good fortune.
Origin: Richard Taverner's 1539 English version of Erasmus's proverbs has "A dog hath a day," and Shakespeare's Hamlet says "The cat will mew, and dog will have his day." Even the lowliest person gets a moment of success.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: À chacun son heure de gloire (literally: To each their hour of glory)
- Spanish: A cada cerdo le llega su San Martín (literally: Every pig gets its Saint Martin's day)
- Japanese: 犬も歩けば棒に当たる (Inu mo arukeba bō ni ataru) (literally: Even a dog walking will hit a stick)
- German: Auch ein blindes Huhn findet mal ein Korn (literally: Even a blind hen finds a grain of corn now and then)
More proverbs about Perseverance
- A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step — Great accomplishments start with small beginnings.
- If at first you don't succeed, try, try again — Persistence is essential to success.
- Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today — Avoid procrastination.
- Blood, sweat, and tears — Great achievement requires immense effort and sacrifice.
- The first step is the hardest — Starting something new requires the most courage.
- Patience is a virtue — The ability to wait calmly is a valuable quality.
From our idioms
- Chercher midi à quatorze heures — To overcomplicate a simple matter.
- Appeler un chat un chat — To call things by their proper name; to speak bluntly.
- Donner sa langue au chat — To give up trying to guess the answer.