ProverbPerseverance
American origin1840
American origin1840If at first you don't succeed, try, try again
Meaning: Persistence is essential to success.
Who said it? Thomas H. Palmer, Teacher's Manual, 1840
Example: “The cake collapsed twice, but if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.”
Origin: Thomas H. Palmer printed it in his Teacher's Manual (1840), a book of advice for schoolteachers: "'Tis a lesson you should heed, / Try, try again; / If at first you don't succeed, / Try, try again." The educator William Edward Hickson helped spread it through his collections of verse for children, and it has been drilled into schoolchildren ever since.
Equivalents in Japanese, German, Italian, and Dutch
Japanese: 七転び八起き (Nanakorobi yaoki) (literally: Seven falls, eight rises)
German: Beharrlichkeit führt zum Ziel (literally: Persistence leads to the goal)
Italian: Chi la dura la vince (literally: Whoever holds out wins)
Dutch: De aanhouder wint (literally: The one who keeps at it wins)
Explore another collection: Idioms
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