juː kɑːnt meɪk ən ˈɒmlɪt wɪðˈaʊt ˈbreɪkɪŋ eɡz
Food & Cooking
neutral
intermediate
- Literally:
- Eggs must be cracked to make omelets
What does "you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs" mean?
- Progress requires sacrifice or disruption
- Some damage is inevitable to achieve goals
Examples
- The restructuring upset people, but you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs.
- Some jobs will be lost—you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs.
- Change is messy. You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs.
Origin
French origin: 'On ne fait pas d'omelette sans casser des œufs.' Attributed to various sources including Robespierre.
How to use it
Often used to justify controversial decisions. Can seem callous about human costs.
Similar expressions
no pain no gain
sacrifice is necessary
progress has costs
Opposites
painless progress
no sacrifice needed
Related idioms
- piece of cake
Something very easy to do
- a piece of cake
Something very easy to do
- in a nutshell
In a very brief or concise form
- an apple a day keeps the doctor away
Eating fruit or having a healthy diet helps maintain good health
- bite off more than you can chew
To take on more responsibility or work than one can handle
- don't put all your eggs in one basket
Don't risk everything on a single opportunity
Use it in a practice answer
Try "you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.