Throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick
Meaning: Regarding this "mud" term in particular, it may possibly reference a technique of building wattle and daub walls by throwing daub (mud mixed with straw) at the wattle, throwing hard enough that some obtained a good key and remained in place; compare slapdash, a pebbledash effect produced by throwing pebbles at a rendered wall.
Origin: Said of both persistence and slander: try enough things, or repeat enough accusations, and something will stick. It is related to the older saying "throw dirt enough, and some will stick"; no first use of the mud-and-wall wording has been traced.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Calomniez, calomniez, il en restera toujours quelque chose (literally: Slander, slander, something of it will always remain)
- Spanish: calumnia, que algo queda
- Japanese: 下手な鉄砲も数撃てば当たる (Heta na teppō mo kazu uteba ataru) (literally: Even a poor shot will hit the mark if he fires enough times)
- German: Es bleibt immer etwas hängen (literally: Something always sticks)
More proverbs about Perseverance
- Who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl — Association with morally corrupt people inevitably corrupts your own character and behavi…
- Advice comes too late when a thing is done. — Counsel offered after the deed is already done is worthless.
- Every one has a penny to spend at a new ale-house. — Novelty draws everyone's custom; people always find a coin for the latest attraction.
- Keep from the anger of a great man. — Avoid provoking the powerful, whose wrath can do you real harm.
- He that is angry without a cause must be pleased without amends. — Anger without real cause deserves no apology to soothe it.
- Never be ashamed to eat your meat. — Feel no shame in satisfying an honest, natural appetite.
From our tongue twisters
- Seize chaises sèches sur seize arches sèches. — A relentless collision of 'sei', 'sèch', and 's' — the tongue can't find traction.
- Un beau ver vert dans un verre vert verra un ver vert. — Ver (worm), vert (green), and verre (glass) are near-homophones — distinguishing them at…
- Didon dîna, dit-on, du dos d'un dodu dindon dont le dodu dos dodine. — A 'd' / 'din' / 'dod' avalanche that seems designed to jam the tongue in third gear.