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189 quotes, page 6 of 7For everybody: work, effort and keeping going
Lines for the early start, the long shift and the tenth application with no reply.
We say who really said each one, and where the credit is uncertain we tell you. Every card is ours to share.
“Measure twice, cut once.”
Carpenters' proverb, older forms say "measure thrice"
Check the delivery address and the load before you leave the yard. Coming back costs an hour.
“Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.”
English proverb, known from the 1500s and going back to an Aesop fable
A great interview is not an offer. Keep applying until you have it in writing.
“Fine words butter no parsnips.”
English proverb, recorded from the 1600s. It means talk is no use without action.
At interview, back every claim with a real example. "I am reliable" is fine words; "two years, no missed shifts" is proof.
“Where there's a will there's a way.”
English proverb. George Herbert's Outlandish Proverbs (1640) has an early form: "To him that will, ways are not wanting".
No car for the early shift? Ask about lift shares, works buses or a bike scheme. There is often a way.
“Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
English proverb, recorded from the 1500s
Expect the trial shift to go well, and still take your boots, ID and a packed lunch.
“Persistent tapping breaks the stone.”
Welsh proverb (Dyfal donc a dyr y garreg)
Ten applications with no answer is tapping. The stone does break: keep going.
“He who would be a leader, let him be a bridge.”
Welsh proverb (A fo ben, bid bont), from the Mabinogion story of Branwen. In the tale, the giant Bendigeidfran lies across a river so his army can cross over him.
Good supervisors carry the problems up and the answers down. Be the bridge, not the wall.
“The best play is playing together.”
Welsh proverb (Gorau chwarae, cyd chwarae)
The fastest loading bay is the one where people help without being asked.
“There is no strength without unity.”
Irish proverb (Ni neart go cur le cheile)
A crew that pulls together on a hard site finishes earlier and safer.
“A good start is half the work.”
Irish proverb (Tus maith leath na hoibre)
Get the CV right once and every application after it is quicker.
“Time is a good storyteller.”
Irish proverb (Is maith an scealai an aimsir)
A knock-back today often makes sense a year later. Give it time before you decide what it meant.
“A half truth is a whole lie.”
Yiddish proverb (A halber emes iz a gantser lign)
Leaving a gap off a CV or stretching dates gets found out at the reference stage. Be straight and explain it.
“Man plans and God laughs.”
Yiddish proverb (Der mentsh trakht un Got lakht)
Plan your career anyway, but hold it loosely. Many good jobs came from a plan that went wrong.
“Even monkeys fall from trees.”
Japanese proverb (Saru mo ki kara ochiru). It means even experts make mistakes.
The ten year driver can still clip a gatepost. Checks are for everyone, not just the new starter.
“Even dust, piled up, becomes a mountain.”
Japanese proverb (Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru)
Small, regular savings from a low wage do become real money. The trick is regular.
“Three years on a stone.”
Japanese proverb (Ishi no ue ni mo sannen). The full sense: sit on a cold stone for three years and even it gets warm, so perseverance pays.
A new trade can feel cold for a long time. Most people who stick at it for a few years are glad they did.
“Early rising brings three mon of profit.”
Japanese proverb (Hayaoki wa sanmon no toku). A mon was a small old coin, so the gain is modest but real.
An early start is not glamorous, but an hour before the shift is time for one application or a little study.
“If in a hurry, go around.”
Japanese proverb (Isogaba maware). It means the safe, longer way is often quicker in the end.
Rushing a reverse or skipping a check to save a minute is how the long day starts.
“One time, one meeting.”
Japanese saying (Ichi-go ichi-e), from the tea ceremony. It reminds the host that each gathering happens only once.
Every interview is a one-off. Prepare as if there will not be a second chance to say it.
“Failure is the mother of success.”
Chinese proverb (Shibai shi chenggong zhi mu)
Ask for feedback after a rejection. It is the most useful thing that interview will give you.
“Do not be afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”
Chinese proverb (Bu pa man, jiu pa zhan)
One evening class a week towards a qualification is slow. It still beats waiting for the right time.
“When you drink water, remember its source.”
Chinese saying (Yin shui si yuan), traced to the poet Yu Xin in the 500s AD
Remember the supervisor who trained you, and do the same for the next new starter.
“Three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang the mastermind.”
Chinese proverb. Zhuge Liang was a famous strategist of the Three Kingdoms period.
On a stuck problem, ask the team. Three ordinary heads often beat one clever one.
“Dig the well before you are thirsty.”
Modern English saying, often called Chinese. It echoes an old Chinese idiom (lin ke jue jing) that mocks digging a well only once thirsty; the English wording is recent.
Build a little savings and keep your CV up to date while you are in work, not after the contract ends.
“The palest ink is better than the best memory.”
Often called a Chinese proverb. No early source has been found for this wording.
Write down the interview time, the name of the manager and your shift pattern. Do not trust it to memory.
“Even if the sky falls, there is a hole to rise out of.”
Korean proverb (Haneuri muneojyeodo sosanal gumeongi itda). It means there is always a way out, however bad things look.
Lost the job and the hours in one week? There is still a next step. Start with /free-help and the jobs list.
“Drop by drop, a lake forms.”
Turkish proverb (Damlaya damlaya gol olur)
A few pounds saved each payday is not much. Keep at it and it becomes a lake.
“Little by little fills the measure.”
Swahili proverb (Haba na haba hujaza kibaba). A kibaba is a small measure for grain.
Learning English for work, saving, getting fit for a physical job: all done a little at a time.
“Chip by chip, the log is finished.”
Swahili proverb (Bandu bandu huisha gogo)
A big job, a full trailer or a long course, gets done one piece at a time.
“He who rises early goes far.”
Romanian proverb (Cine se scoala de dimineata, departe ajunge)
The first person on site sees the work and gets asked back.
Other sections
- Work and keeping going (189)
- Starting a business (152)
- For leaders (41)
- Working with people (22)
- Mindset and habits (144)
- True stories of people who started small