sloʊ ənd ˈstedi wɪnz ðə reɪs
General
neutral
beginner
- Literally:
- Moving slowly but consistently leads to victory
What does "slow and steady wins the race" mean?
- Consistent, patient effort achieves success
- Persistence is more effective than rushing
Examples
- Don't rush—slow and steady wins the race.
- She believes in slow and steady wins the race approach.
- Remember: slow and steady wins the race.
Origin
From Aesop's fable 'The Tortoise and the Hare' where the slow tortoise defeats the fast but overconfident hare.
How to use it
Classic proverb used to encourage patience. May seem outdated in fast-paced contexts.
Similar expressions
patience pays off
persistence wins
steady progress
Opposites
haste makes waste
quick and dirty
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "slow and steady wins the race" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.