PhrasesHub

Blood toil tears and sweat

    Definitions

      • conveying the idea of hard work and sacrifice
        Describing a situation or task that requires great effort, determination, and perseverance to achieve success or overcome challenges.

    Examples of Blood toil tears and sweat

    • The people of this country have already shed blood, toiled tirelessly, shed tears of despair, and sweat blood to achieve their independence from colonialism.

      This is a descriptive statement that depicts the struggles and sacrifices that the people of a country have undergone to gain their freedom from colonial rule. The use of the idiom "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" represents the profound challenges and hardships faced by these people, including loss of life, intense work, emotional distress, and physical exertion. This example demonstrates the versatility of the idiom, as it can be used in a descriptive context to convey the depth of a country's history and resistance.

    • The road to success is not without its share of blood, toil, tears, and sweat.

      This is a motivational statement that encourages and instills hope in people who are striving to achieve success. It highlights the fact that success is not an easy or automatic feat, but rather requires hard work, persistence, and resilience. The use of the idiom symbolizes the expected challenges that one may encounter on the path to success, ranging from emotional struggles, sweaty debates, and sometimes, even the possibility of injuries along the way. This example demonstrates the use of the idiom as a metaphor for the rough, but rewarding journey towards achieving one's goals.

    • Being a leader involves shedding blood, toiling relentlessly, shedding tears, and sweating buckets.

      This is a statement that conveys the immense responsibility that comes with being a leader, coupled with the challenges that are encountered along the way. The idiom used here highlights the fact that leadership comes at a price and a cost, as it requires great effort, sacrifice, and the need to navigate through challenging times, which may sometimes result in injuries. This example demonstrates the use of the idiom in a context that explains the personal effort and sacrifice required to maintain a leadership position.

    • The feelings of love are not without their share of blood, toil, tears, and sweat.

      This is a romantic statement that highlights the depth and complexity of love, as it involves a wide range of emotions, effort, and sacrifice. The use of the idiom in this context depicts the fact that love is not always an easy feat, as it involves shedding tears, working hard to maintain it, and sometimes, even experiencing a few bumps and bruises along the way. This example demonstrates the use of the idiom in a context that explains the deep emotions and real efforts involved in maintaining a lasting relationship.

    • Leaders of the country made a promise to their people that they will spill their blood, toil day and night, shed tears while dealing with difficulties and sweat profusely to take the nation out of its current state of poverty.

      This idiom emphasizes the extreme hardships and sacrifices that the leaders will need to make to revive the country's economy and improve the lives of its citizens.

    • Being a successful entrepreneur takes blood, toil, tears, and sweat. Startups need a lot of hard work, sleepless nights, and persistence to turn into profitable ventures.

      This idiom indicates the various challenges and difficulties that entrepreneurs face in establishing and growing their businesses.

    • The project was a blood, toil, tears, and sweat affair from start to finish. Every step of the way was full of difficulties and hardships, requiring intense effort and persistence.

      This idiom portrays the entire project as a tremendous effort and demonstrates the difficulties that the team had to face throughout the process.

    • The road to success is paved with blood, toil, tears, and sweat. It's not an easy journey and requires a lot of hard work, persistence, and determination.

      This idiom highlights the fact that success doesn't come easily and requires a tremendous amount of effort and dedication.


    Conclusion

    It is used to emphasize the idea that success and progress often come at a cost, and that hard work and dedication are necessary for achieving one's goals. This idiom is commonly used in motivational speeches or discussions about personal growth and success.

    Origin of "Blood toil tears and sweat"

    The phrase "blood, toil, tears and sweat" was famously used by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in his first speech to the House of Commons on May 13, 1940. The speech was given during World War II, at a time when Britain was facing great challenges and needed to rally together with determination and resilience.

    Churchill's use of this idiom was meant to convey the gravity of the situation and the sacrifices that would be required to overcome it. The phrase is also a reference to the biblical story of Adam's punishment for eating the forbidden fruit, where God tells Adam that he will have to toil and sweat for his bread.

    Overall, the idiom "blood, toil, tears and sweat" has become a powerful expression of hard work, sacrifice, and determination, and continues to be used in various contexts to inspire and motivate others.