ProverbWisdom
German origin
German originLieber der Erste im Dorf als der Zweite in Rom
Meaning: It is better to lead something small than to come second in something big.
Literally: Rather the first in the village than the second in Rome
Example: “Er hätte in die Großstadt wechseln können, bleibt aber Chefarzt hier. Lieber der Erste im Dorf als der Zweite in Rom.” — He could have moved to the big city but stays on as head doctor here: better the head of an ass than the tail of a horse.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, and Chinese
English: Better be the head of an ass than the tail of a horse.
French: Mieux vaut être tête de chien que queue de lion (literally: Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion)
Spanish: Más vale ser cabeza de ratón que cola de león (literally: Better to be a mouse's head than a lion's tail)
Japanese: 鶏口となるも牛後となるなかれ (Keikou to naru mo gyūgo to naru nakare) (literally: Rather be the beak of a rooster than the rear of an ox)
Italian: È meglio essere testa d'anguilla che coda di storione (literally: Better the head of an eel than the tail of a sturgeon)
Chinese: 宁为鸡口，无为牛后 (Nìng wéi jī kǒu, wú wéi niú hòu) (literally: Better a rooster's beak than an ox's rear)
Origin: Plutarch tells that Julius Caesar, passing a poor Alpine village, said he would rather be first there than second in Rome.
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