You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great
Meaning: Greatness is not a prerequisite for beginning; beginning is the path to greatness.
Origin: Usually credited to the American motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, but also to the speakers Les Brown and Joe Sabah. None of these attributions has been traced to a dated first use, so who coined it is unclear.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, and Japanese
- French: Il n'est pas nécessaire d'être grand pour commencer, mais il faut commencer pour être grand (literally: You don't have to be great to start, but you must start to be great)
- Spanish: No tienes que ser grande para empezar, pero tienes que empezar para ser grande (literally: You don't have to be great to start, but you must start to be great)
- Japanese: 偉大でなくても始められるが、始めなければ偉大になれない (Idai de nakute mo hajimerareru ga, hajimenakereba idai ni narenai) (literally: You don't have to be great to start, but you can't become great without starting)
More proverbs about Perseverance
- He who limps is still walking — Even imperfect progress is still progress; do not let imperfection stop you.
- Stars cannot shine without darkness — Hardship and struggle are what allow our greatest qualities to become visible.
- Even the tallest tower began with a single brick — Every great achievement starts with one humble first step.
- He conquers who endures — Persistence and endurance are the ultimate keys to victory.
- To lose patience is to lose the battle — Losing your composure under pressure ensures defeat; staying calm is essential to success.
- Nothing is impossible to a willing heart — With true determination and commitment, any obstacle can be overcome.
From our tongue twisters
- How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? — A 'w/ch/ck' drill that accelerates comically — and nobody really knows the answer.
- The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick. — Believed by Guinness to be among the hardest in English — 'six/sick/sheikh/sheep' blur in…
- خالد خلّى خلال خاله في الخلاء. (Khālid khallā khalāl khālih fī al-khalāʾ.) — A rapid-fire 'kh' (خ) drill — the throaty fricative that non-Arabic speakers find uniquel…