The first step is the hardest
Meaning: Starting something new requires the most courage.
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, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- 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)
- German: Aller Anfang ist schwer (literally: Every beginning is hard)
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.