ProverbPerseveranceFrench origin

The first step is the hardest

Meaning: Starting something new requires the most courage.

Who said it? Madame du Deffand, 18th-century French wit

Origin: From the French wit Madame du Deffand. When Cardinal de Polignac described how Saint Denis, beheaded, walked two leagues carrying his own head, she replied: Il n'y a que le premier pas qui coûte — it is only the first step that is difficult. Voltaire quoted the remark, and it became proverbial.

Equivalents in French, German, Dutch, and Russian

  • French: Il n'y a que le premier pas qui coûte (literally: Only the first step is costly)
  • German: Aller Anfang ist schwer (literally: Every beginning is hard)
  • Dutch: Alle begin is moeilijk (literally: Every beginning is difficult)
  • Russian: Лиха беда начало (Likha beda nachalo) (literally: The trouble is only in starting)

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