Misfortunes never come alone
Meaning: Troubles compound—when one disaster strikes, others typically follow in succession.
Origin: An old observation found across Europe; early 14th-century French had ung meschief ne vient point seul, a misfortune does not come alone. Shakespeare gave it its most famous form in Hamlet, where King Claudius says: "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, / But in battalions."
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Un malheur ne vient jamais seul (literally: Misfortunes never come single)
- Spanish: Las desgracias nunca vienen solas (literally: Misfortunes never come alone)
- Japanese: 一難去ってまた一難 (Ichinan satte mata ichinan) (literally: One trouble leaves, and then another trouble)
- German: Ein Unglück kommt selten allein (literally: A misfortune seldom comes alone)
More proverbs about Perseverance
- Never change a running system — Functional systems risk dysfunction when modified without pressing necessity.
- No time like the present — Delaying action until tomorrow squanders today's opportunities and capacity to accomplish…
- One's time is one's own — (uncommon) A time when one's work or efforts in a certain setting are free from constant…
- The Internet never forgets — Digital actions persist permanently; careless words or images posted online create lastin…
- There's a first time for everything — It is wise to try different sorts of things or experiences that one is unaccustomed to or…
- Third time's the charm — Persistence through repeated attempts eventually succeeds where earlier tries failed.
From our tongue twisters
- Mit sütsz, kis szűcs? Tán sós húst sütsz, kis szűcs? — An 'sz / s / ts' sibilant duel — Hungarian's two close s-sounds collide in every word.
- Ibsens ripsbusker og andre buskvekster. — An 'sb / sk / busk' cluster trap that jams the tongue between the bushes.
- Rødgrød med fløde. — The legendary soft-d and rounded 'ø' test — the phrase Danes use to spot a non-native ins…