ProverbChallenge
American origin1911
American origin1911It 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 German
German: Klein, aber oho (literally: Small, but wow)
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