nothing ventured, nothing gained
If one takes no risks, one cannot gain any benefitsIf one takes no risks, one cannot gain (i.e., has no hope of gaining) any benefits.
Meaning
1 sensesIf 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
Origin
Attested since 1546 in a book of English proverbs by John Heywood (see quotation below). PAttested 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.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Synonyms
2 synonymsWord family
1 related wordsSee also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.