A dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

NOTHING succeeds like success
Cf. Fr. rien ne rchjssit comme le succes, nothing succeeds like success.

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  1867 A. D. RICHARDSON Beyond Mississippi xxxiv. ‘Nothing succeeds like success.’ There was much Southern sympathy on the island; now all are our dear friends. 1872 W. BESANT Ready-Money Mortiboy I. ix. In Mr. Mortiboy’s judgment no proverb could be better than.. ‘Nothing succeeds like success.’ Success dazzled him. 1980 H.
  

TREVOR-ROPER History & Imagination 9 Nothing succeeds like success, and if Hitler had founded his empire . . we can well imagine how later historians would have treated him. ^success
NOTHING venture, nothing gain
A variant of the next proverb. Cf. late 14th-cent. Fr. qui onques rien n’enprist riens n’achieva, he who never undertook anything never achieved anything; 1481 CAXTON Reynard (1880) xii. He that will wynne he muste laboure and auenture.
□1624 T. HEYWOOD Captives IV. i. I see hee that nought venters, nothinge gaynes. 1668 C. SEDLEY Mulberry Garden III. ii. Who ever caught any thing With a naked hook? nothing venture, nothing Win. 1876 BLACKMORE Cripps III. iv. We must all have been in France.. if—well, never mind. Nothing venture, nothing win. 1967 D. MORRIS Naked Ape iv. For him [the withdrawn individual] the old saying: ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained’ has been rewritten: ‘Nothing ventured, nothing lost’. 1979 A. PRICE Tomorrow’s Ghost vii. That was decidedly interesting—’And Pearson Cole?’ Nothing venture, nothing gain. 1990 R. D. EDWARDS English School of Murder vi. ‘I’d need a little training before I could take on a proper class.’ ‘Nonsense, old man,’ cried Rich. ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’ 2001 Washington Times 15 Dec. B2 Though there are no guarantees, it does seem sad that a chance at true love was stillborn because one of the parties had low self-esteem. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. "boldness; wanting and having; risk