It is not the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the fight in the dog
Meaning: Determination and spirit matter far more than physical size or advantage.
Origin: Often attributed to Mark Twain, but researchers have found no evidence he said it. The earliest known version is by the columnist Arthur G. Lewis, in a 1911 railroad magazine: "It is not the size of the dog in the fight that counts, but the fight in the dog that wins." President Eisenhower later used it in 1958.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Ce n'est pas la taille du chien dans le combat, c'est la taille du combat dans le chien (literally: It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog)
- Spanish: No es el tamaño del perro en la pelea, sino el tamaño de la pelea en el perro (literally: It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog)
- Japanese: 戦いの中の犬の大きさではなく、犬の中の戦いの大きさが重要 (Tatakai no naka no inu no ōkisa de wa naku, inu no naka no tatakai no ōkisa ga jūyō) (literally: Not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog)
- German: Klein, aber oho (literally: Small, but wow)
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