ProverbWisdom
French origin
French originTous les chemins mènent à Rome
Meaning: There are many routes to the same result.
Literally: All roads lead to Rome
Example: “Tu peux passer par le droit ou par l'économie pour devenir diplomate ; tous les chemins mènent à Rome.” — You can go through law or economics to become a diplomat; all roads lead to Rome.
Equivalents in English, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 4 more languages
English: All roads lead to Rome
Spanish: Todos los caminos llevan a Roma (literally: All roads lead to Rome)
Japanese: 全ての道はローマに通ず (Subete no michi wa Rōma ni tsūzu) (literally: All roads lead to Rome)
German: Alle Wege führen nach Rom (literally: All roads lead to Rome)
Italian: Tutte le strade conducono a Roma (literally: All roads lead to Rome)
Portuguese: Todos os caminhos vão dar a Roma (literally: All roads end up in Rome)
Russian: Все дороги ведут в Рим (Vse dorogi vedut v Rim) (literally: All roads lead to Rome)
Polish: Wszystkie drogi prowadzą do Rzymu (literally: All roads lead to Rome)
Chinese: 殊途同归 (Shū tú tóng guī) (literally: Different paths, same destination)
Origin: Literally true of the Roman road network, which was engineered radially from the capital and measured from the golden milestone in the Forum. The proverb is medieval and predates its modern use for methods rather than journeys.
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- Bon sang ! Good grief — an exclamation of exasperation.
- Bon sang ne saurait mentir Breeding shows in the end.
- Séance tenante Then and there, without adjournment.
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