Fall seven times, get up eight
Meaning: Perseverance is the key to mastery and resilience.
Origin: A Japanese proverb, nana korobi ya oki (七転び八起き). It is closely tied to the Daruma doll, a round-bottomed figure of the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma that rights itself however often it is knocked over, and a traditional symbol of perseverance.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Tomber sept fois, se relever huit (literally: Fall seven times, get up eight)
- Spanish: Caer siete veces, levantarse ocho (literally: Fall seven times, rise eight)
- Japanese: 七転び八起き (Nana korobi ya oki) (literally: Seven falls, eight rises)
- German: Beharrlichkeit führt zum Ziel (literally: Persistence leads to the goal)
More proverbs about Perseverance
- Rome wasn't built in a day — Great things take time and patience.
- The early bird catches the worm — Those who act first gain advantage.
- Better late than never — Doing something late is better than not doing it at all.
- Slow and steady wins the race — Consistency and patience lead to success.
- Good things come to those who wait — Patience is rewarded.
- In for a penny, in for a pound — Once committed to something, go all the way with it.
From our untranslatable words
- Dépaysement — The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…
- Flâner — To wander a city slowly and aimlessly, savouring it with no destination in mind — the art…
- Retrouvailles — The joy of reuniting with someone after a long time apart.