ProverbChallengeFrench origin1742

You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

Meaning: Progress requires sacrifice.

Often credited to: François de Charette, in 1796, but it was already a French proverb

Example: “Some staff will be unhappy with the changes, but you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs.”

Origin: From the French on ne saurait faire d'omelette sans casser des œufs, recorded by 1742. It reached English in 1796, attributed to the French royalist commander François de Charette. It means that achieving something worthwhile involves some damage along the way.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, and 2 more languages

  • French: On ne fait pas d'omelette sans casser des œufs (literally: You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs)
  • Spanish: No se puede hacer tortilla sin romper huevos (literally: You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs)
  • German: Wo gehobelt wird, da fallen Späne (literally: Where planing is done, shavings fall)
  • Italian: Non si fa nessuna frittata senza rompere le uova (literally: No omelette is made without breaking eggs)
  • Dutch: Waar gehakt wordt, vallen spaanders (literally: Where wood is chopped, chips fall)
  • Russian: Лес рубят — щепки летят (Les rubyat — shchepki letyat) (literally: When the forest is felled, chips fly)
  • Polish: Gdzie drwa rąbią, tam wióry lecą (literally: Where wood is chopped, shavings fly)

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