Never quit certainty for hope.
Meaning: Abandoning what you reliably have for uncertain future prospects invites unnecessary loss.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Perseverance
- Who never climbed, never fell. — Avoiding risk entirely guarantees safety but also prevents growth, achievement, and the v…
- Diligence is a good patrimony. — Hard work and industrious habits, inherited or cultivated early, provide more lasting wea…
- Envy never enriched any man. — Coveting others' possessions diverts energy from productive work that builds genuine weal…
- Fault-finders should be fault-menders. — Those quick to criticize others must prove willing to fix problems themselves through act…
- Save me from my friends. — Betrayal by trusted allies causes deeper harm than obvious enemies ever could.
- March grass never did good. — Early spring growth lacks substance; premature gains wither when hardship returns.
From our compliments & insults
- T'as pas inventé le fil à couper le beurre — You're not exactly a genius — the wire to cut butter is about the most obvious tool imagi…
- Tête de mule — An impossibly stubborn person who refuses to change their mind no matter what.
- C'est une vraie chèvre — They're hopelessly stubborn and infuriating — a goat that refuses to be moved.