nothing ventured, nothing gained
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nothing ventured, nothing gained
Where it comes from
Attested since 1546 in a book of English proverbs by John Heywood (see quotation below). Perhaps translated from or influenced by French Qui onques rien n'enprist riens n'achieva (“One who never undertook anything never gained anything”). Though a translation, a similar phrase of "Nothing ventured, nothing have." appears in Sir George Dasent's translation of the Icelandic text "The Saga of the Burnt Njal" (events occurring between 960 and 1020 A.D.), suggesting it may have gone back much further.
However, certain translations of Herodotus 7.9 include "if nothing is ventured in life, then nothing is gained". Suggesting either the phrase or something similar stretches to even before 960AD.
proverb
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If one takes no risks, one cannot gain (i.e., has no hope of gaining) any benefits.
Near-synonyms: no guts, no glory; no pain, no gain
Similar: no guts, no glory, no pain, no gain
Talk about this word "nothing ventured, nothing gained." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nothing%20ventured%2C%20nothing%20gained. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. nothing ventured, nothing gained. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nothing%20ventured%2C%20nothing%20gained "nothing ventured, nothing gained." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nothing%20ventured%2C%20nothing%20gained.Cite this
@misc{nothing_ventured_nothing_gained_2026,
title = {nothing ventured, nothing gained},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nothing%20ventured%2C%20nothing%20gained},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
