Tis a good horse that never stumbles, and a good wife that never grumbles.
Meaning: A flawless partner, like a flawless horse, doesn't exist—accepting minor faults shows wisdom.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Il n’y a cheval si bon qui ne bronche (literally: It is a good horse that never stumbles)
- Spanish: El mejor escribano echa un borrón (literally: The best scribe makes a blot)
- Japanese: 猿も木から落ちる (Saru mo ki kara ochiru) (literally: Even monkeys fall from trees)
- German: Auch ein Pferd strauchelt, und hat doch vier Beine (literally: Even a horse stumbles, and yet it has four legs)
More proverbs about Perseverance
- Who depends upon another man's table often dines late. — Relying on others' generosity leaves you vulnerable to hunger and uncertain timing.
- A mouse, in time, may bite in two a cable. — Persistent small efforts, repeated long enough, can eventually overcome even the stronges…
- Take time when time is, for time will away. — Seize opportunities promptly; delays risk losing them forever to circumstance's passage.
- Time and tide tarry for no man. — Constant natural forces—time's flow and ocean's tides—proceed indifferently; delay ensure…
- Time is the rider that breaks youth. — Youth's strength and invulnerability gradually diminish as years pass and experiences acc…
- What is a workman without his tools? — A skilled person stripped of necessary resources cannot apply their expertise effectively.
From our idioms
- kick the bucket — To die.
- kick up one's heels — To have a lively and fun time, usually at a party or dance.
- knock someone for a loop — To shock, surprise, or astound someone.