
ProverbPerseverance
French 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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