Well begun is half done.
Meaning: Starting with proper preparation and intention dramatically increases your likelihood of completing any task successfully.
Origin: The thought is ancient: Aristotle quotes the proverb that the beginning is half of the whole, and the Roman poet Horace wrote dimidium facti qui coepit habet — he who has begun has half done. Starting is the hardest part.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and Italian
- French: Heureux commencement est la moitié de l’”oe]uvre (literally: Well begun is half done)
- Spanish: Buen principio, la mitad es hecho (literally: Well begun is half done)
- Japanese: 始めが肝心 (Hajime ga kanjin) (literally: The beginning is what is crucial)
- German: Frisch begonnen ist halb gewonnen (literally: Briskly begun is half won)
- Italian: Buon principio è la metà dell’opra (literally: Well begun is half done)
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