you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

English

Alternative forms

• you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette

Etymology

1796 in English, from French, on ne saurait faire d’omelette sans casser des œufs (1742 and earlier), attributed to François de Charette.^[1]

Proverb

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

1. In order to achieve something, it is inevitable and necessary that some mistakes are made or some sacrifices must occur.
   • 1796, Walker's Hibernian Magazine:^[1]

     It was remarked to him that he had caused the death of a great many persons. Yes, he replied, omlets are not made without breaking eggs.

Translations

phrase

Chinese: Mandarin: 天下沒有白吃的午餐／天下没有白吃的午餐 (tiānxià méiyǒu báichī de wǔcān) (there is no such thing as free lunch), 有得必有失; 有失才有得 (you gain some and you lose some) Czech: když se kácí les, létají třísky Danish: hvor der handles, der spildes Dutch: waar gehakt wordt vallen spaanders Finnish: munakasta ei voi tehdä rikkomatta munia French: on ne fait pas d’omelette sans casser des œufs (fr) (one doesn't make an omelette without breaking eggs), on ne saurait faire d’omelette sans casser des œufs German: wo gehobelt wird, fallen Späne (de) Greek: αν δεν βρέξεις κώλο, ψάρι δεν τρως (an den vréxeis kólo, psári den tros) Hungarian: csak az nem hibázik, aki nem dolgozik, ahol fát vágnak, ott hullik a forgács, áldozat nélkül nincs győzelem Italian: non si può fare una frittata senza rompere le uova Japanese: 蒔かぬ種は生えぬ (まかぬたねははえぬ, makanu tane wa haenu) (seeds that aren't planted won't grow) Norwegian: det må knuses noen egg for å lage en omelett Persian: املای نانوشته غلط ندارد (emlâ-ye nâ-nevešte ğalat nadârad) Polish: nie można mieć ciastka i zjeść ciastko, gdzie drwa rąbią, tam wióry lecą (pl) Portuguese: não se pode fazer omelete sem quebrar os ovos Russian: лес ру́бят — ще́пки летя́т (ru) (les rúbjat — ščépki letját) (when wood is cut - chips fly) Slovak: keď sa rúbe les, lietajú triesky Spanish: nada que valga la pena se logra sin crear conflictos (nothing is worth the effort without stirring up conflicts), no se puede hacer una tortilla sin romper los huevos (you can't make a tortilla without breaking the eggs), quien quiera peces, que moje el culo (Whoever wants some fish must get his/her arse wet)

See also

• a revolution is not a dinner party
• collateral damage
• no pain, no gain
• side effect
• the cat would eat fish but would not wet her feet
• there's no such thing as a free lunch
• unintended consequence
• you don't get something for nothing

 

References

1. Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

• Let's Resolve in the New Year to Stop Using That Expression About Breaking Eggs and Making Omelets, Mike Vuolo, Slate