Nothing ventured, nothing gained
Meaning: You must take risks to achieve rewards.
Origin: Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde (c. 1385) has the thought that whoever undertakes nothing achieves nothing, and John Heywood's 1546 collection gives the blunter "Nought venture, nought have." The present wording is later, but it remains the classic encouragement to take a chance.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Qui ne risque rien n'a rien (literally: Who risks nothing has nothing)
- Spanish: Quien no arriesga, no gana (literally: Who doesn't risk, doesn't win)
- Japanese: 虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず (Koketsu ni irazunba koji wo ezu) (literally: Without entering the tiger's den, you cannot get the tiger's cub)
- German: Wer nicht wagt, der nicht gewinnt (literally: He who does not dare does not win)
More proverbs about Challenge
- Out of the frying pan, into the fire — Escaping one bad situation only to end up in a worse one.
- The road to success is paved with failure — Success requires learning from mistakes.
- Walk softly and carry a big stick — Act gently but maintain the power to enforce if needed.
- Opportunity knocks but once — Chances don't come twice; seize them when they appear.
- The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward — Greater rewards require greater risks.
- Divide and conquer — Achieve dominance by breaking opposition into smaller parts.