Strike while the iron is hot
Meaning: Act quickly when the opportunity presents itself.
Origin: A blacksmith can shape or weld iron only while it glows; once it cools, the hammer does nothing. Chaucer uses the image in the 14th century, and by the 16th it was a standard English proverb for seizing an opportunity before it passes.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and Italian
- French: Il faut battre le fer tant qu'il est chaud (literally: One must strike the iron while it is hot)
- Spanish: A hierro caliente, batir de repente (literally: To hot iron, strike suddenly)
- Japanese: 鉄は熱いうちに打て (Tetsu wa atsui uchi ni ute) (literally: Strike the iron while it is hot)
- German: Man muss das Eisen schmieden, solange es heiß ist (literally: One must forge the iron while it is hot)
- Italian: Batti il ferro quando è caldo (literally: Strike while the iron is hot)
More proverbs about Challenge
- If you can't beat them, join them — If you can't win against something, align with it.
- You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs — Progress requires sacrifice.
- What doesn't kill you makes you stronger — Adversity builds resilience and character.
- Nothing ventured, nothing gained — You must take risks to achieve rewards.
- 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.