ProverbMoralityEnglish origin

Fair and softly go far in a day.

Meaning: Steady, moderate effort sustains progress better than rushed, forceful action that exhausts itself quickly.

Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 4 more languages

  • French: Pas à pas on va bien loin (literally: Fair and softly goes far)
  • Spanish: Poco a poco se anda lejos (literally: Little by little one goes far)
  • Japanese: 急がば回れ (Isogaba maware) (literally: If you are in a hurry, take the roundabout way)
  • German: Eile mit Weile (literally: Haste with leisure)
  • Italian: Chi va piano va sano e va lontano (literally: Who goes slowly goes safely and goes far)
  • Portuguese: Devagar se vai ao longe (literally: Slowly you go far)
  • Dutch: Langzaam aan, dan breekt de lijn niet (literally: Take it slowly and the line won't break)
  • Russian: Тише едешь — дальше будешь (Tishe edesh' — dal'she budesh') (literally: The slower you ride, the farther you get)
  • Turkish: Ağır git ki yol alasın (literally: Go slowly so you make headway)

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