‘Rome wasn’t Built in a Day’ – Meaning, Origin, Explanation and Teachings

Its meaning: The phrase, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ means ‘it takes time for creating important things or doing important tasks.’ The proverb teaches to be ‘patient while doing or accomplishing big tasks.’

It also means, ‘Great works cannot be done in a hurry.’ Big achievements and success in life is the result of persistent efforts and hard work over a long period.

Origin: This proverb is an English translation of the French proverb that says, “Rome ne s’est pas faite en un jour”. Other similar French proverb says, “Paris ne s’est pas faite en un jour”

Brief explanation: Ancient Rome was among the most splendid cities of the world. However, the magnificent city of Rome was not built in a day. It took years and ages to create the masterpiece. Countless people put their hard work and untiring effort for several years to build the city of Rome.

Great jobs are not done overnight. Any attempt is crowned with success when persistent efforts are made patiently. It is said that patience and perseverance must go hand in hand for success. The key to success in life is hard work and patience. Nothing important can be achieved easily or without effort. People who patiently put all their effort in accomplishing their goal make great things.

There are people who presume everything to be easy and start doing big things without the intention of putting many efforts. However, it doesn’t take long for them to realize that patient, hard-work, and persistence is essential for accomplishing great tasks.

Teachings: The proverb teaches us

We should be serious while choosing our goals in life, and once the goal has been determined, we should put all our efforts to realize the goal. In doing so, we should not lose heart even if it takes a lot of time and persistent effort. It’s fine so long as we move forward, even if the pace seems slow.
It should be remembered that apart from ceaseless effort and enormous time, one need skills, knowledge, wisdom and intelligence to perform great tasks.
Conclusion: A person who runs after easy success and cannot put efforts will less likely to achieve much success in life. On the other hand, a person who puts time and effort and patiently wait for results will definitely taste the success of life.