ProverbPerseverance
English origin1759
English origin1759Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance
Meaning: Long-term persistence is more powerful than raw ability or brute force.
Who said it? Samuel Johnson, Rasselas, 1759
Origin: From Samuel Johnson's The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia (1759), where the poet Imlac encourages the prince as they dig an escape tunnel: "Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance; yonder palace was raised by single stones."
Equivalents in German
German: Steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein (literally: A constant drop hollows out the stone)
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