The first step is the hardest

Meaning: Starting something new requires the most courage.

Origin: Attributed to Madame Marie du Deffand, 18th century French salonist.

Translations

• French: Il n'y a que le premier pas qui coûte (literally: Only the first step is costly)
• Spanish: El primer paso es el más difícil (literally: The first step is the hardest)
• Japanese: 最初の一歩が一番難しい (Saisho no ippo ga ichiban muzukashii) (literally: The first step is the hardest)

More proverbs about Perseverance

• Patience is a virtue — The ability to wait calmly is a valuable quality.
• A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor — Hardship and challenges are what build true expertise and resilience.
• Dripping water hollows out stone — Persistent small efforts accomplish what force alone cannot.
• The ox is slow, but the earth is patient — Steady, unhurried work in harmony with natural rhythms eventually yields abundance.
• The cat that always cries catches no mice — Complaining and making noise accomplishes nothing; quiet, focused effort gets results.
• The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones — Great accomplishments are only possible through gradual, persistent small efforts.

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