ProverbWisdomGreek origin

One swallow does not make a summer.

Meaning: A single favorable occurrence cannot establish a lasting pattern; sustained evidence requires repetition.

Who said it? Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

Example: “The sales rose in March, but one swallow does not make a summer.”

Origin: From Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: one swallow does not make a spring, nor does one fine day — and neither does a short spell of good fortune make a person happy. Aristotle's Greek says spring; English adopted summer, and Richard Taverner's 1539 translation of Erasmus's collection of proverbs gave it in English.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and 3 more languages

  • French: Une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps (literally: One swallow does not make a spring)
  • Spanish: Una golondrina no hace verano (literally: One swallow does not make a summer)
  • German: Eine Schwalbe macht noch keinen Sommer (literally: One swallow does not yet make a summer)
  • Italian: Una rondine non fa primavera (literally: One swallow doesn't make spring)
  • Portuguese: Uma andorinha não faz a primavera (literally: One swallow doesn't make the spring)
  • Dutch: Eén zwaluw maakt nog geen zomer (literally: One swallow doesn't make a summer)
  • Russian: Одна ласточка весны не делает (Odna lastochka vesny ne delaet) (literally: One swallow doesn't make a spring)
  • Polish: Jedna jaskółka wiosny nie czyni (literally: One swallow doesn't make a spring)

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