Great pain and little gain make a man soon weary.

Meaning: Disproportionate effort against meager returns exhausts resolve faster than any physical hardship alone.

Origin: From 'A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases' (1870). Public domain.

More proverbs about Challenge

Pains are the wages of ill-pleasures. — Suffering naturally follows from indulgences that ignore consequences or moral bounds.
On painting and fighting look aloof off. — Maintaining distance reveals flaws invisible up close; premature judgment spoils both art…
Sleep on it; the pillow is the best counsellor. — Delaying decisions allows subconscious processing to clarify confusion that waking worry…
He can ill pipe that wants his upper lip. — Missing essential tools makes mastery impossible, no matter one's skill or determination.
To cast oil in the fire is not the way to quench it. — Adding fuel to conflict or anger only intensifies it rather than resolving it.
The devil can quote Scripture to suit his purpose. — Skilled manipulators exploit truth selectively, twisting knowledge to justify deception.

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