The road to success is paved with failure
Meaning: Success requires learning from mistakes.
Origin: A modern motivational saying that circulates in several wordings in business and self-help writing — one speaks of "the hot asphalt of failure." No first source has been traced.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Le chemin du succès est pavé d'échecs (literally: The road to success is paved with failures)
- Spanish: El camino al éxito está pavimentado con fracasos (literally: The road to success is paved with failures)
- Japanese: 失敗は成功のもと (Shippai wa seikō no moto) (literally: Failure is the foundation of success)
- German: Aus Schaden wird man klug (literally: From harm one becomes wise)
More proverbs about Challenge
- Walk softly and carry a big stick — Act gently but maintain the power to enforce if needed.
- Opportunity knocks but once — Chances don't come twice; seize them when they appear.
- The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward — Greater rewards require greater risks.
- Divide and conquer — Achieve dominance by breaking opposition into smaller parts.
- When it rains, it pours — Troubles often come all at once.
- If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen — If you can't handle pressure, leave the situation.
From our false friends
- Simpatichny (Симпатичный) (Simpatichnyy) — Actually means 'good-looking' or 'likeable'. For sympathetic, say сочувствующий (sochuvst…
- Aktualny (Актуальный) (Aktualnyy) — Actually means 'topical' or 'currently relevant'. For actual (real), say настоящий (nasto…
- Artist (Артист) (Artist) — Actually means 'performer' — an actor, singer or circus artiste. A painter is художник (k…